Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina
by Twilight Joltik
Summary: Rosalina called upon the Alchemist Knights to stop the Star Eaters from casting the world into darkness, but the Alchemist Knights are left without any idea what they are doing. However, as they learn more about the mysterious war they've been caught up in, things start to go violently and horrifically wrong. Magical Girl/Boy AU. Discontinued, and I am very sorry about that.
1. Beginning

_**AN- A magical girl story with Super Smash Bros characters? Sure, why not. **_

_**Oh, if only it could be that simple… Fair warning, nothing is happy in this story for very long, and it is entirely likely your favorite character will have a remarkable awful story. But, there's happy stuff in here too. Smiles and tears are partners, after all.**_

_**I do not own the characters in this story, which belong to Nintendo and its subsidiaries, but I do own my ideas. So, thank you and enjoy! –Twilight Joltik**_

* * *

_Prologue I- Stardust_

_The world itself seemed to glow gold. In this place, even the very fabric of time and space had ceased to exist. It was very lonely there, known to be populated only by a lone person, a person who had been dragged into it and would cease to exist very soon now at that. They could feel this void pulling apart their very being, fracturing what was left of them into pieces. There was hardly a physical form they could hold on to. Soon, all that would be left was intangible memories, and even those were fading._

_They held on to the only thing they had left: the power that had brought them here, the power to bend reality contained within a single core. It was too much for anyone to bear. That person was glad they'd removed that burden from the universe. The power unleashed back in reality, it was surely enough to split that power in all of time and space, so it never would have been one person's burden in the first place. The horrible power of the stars would be split, two people guarding fractions of its power._

_In this haze, they felt something slip out of their grasp. Part of the power that had cursed that world, the worst of them slipped into oblivion. That was for the best. Foresight was far too much a burden to be carried with the rest of them. The power to warp time and the power to warp space alone were too great. With the desperate wish they had given themselves for, those powers would always be separate. They couldn't quite recall what that wish was, exactly, save for a hazy memory of some blood-stained battle._

_The person who stood between time and space felt the last of themselves start to slip away. One memory floated back to the front of their mind. A person, so utterly destroyed that the only way to save them was to rip the world in two. That person, were they there now? They hoped they were, and as the final memory they held surfaced, they thought they felt tears at their shattered eyes. As a hazy image of a group of people shimmered in their memory, the last of that person's consciousness made a wish._

_"Please, no matter what happens next, I want to meet them again!" someone cried with all of the heart they'd lost trying to save all they held dear._

_They faded into stardust, into waves in the sea of time, into flashes of light from a time that would never come. The power that had brought them there faded as well, scattering, following the wishes that had destroyed it._

* * *

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter One- Beginning_

Light flooded into the house as Lucina opened the door. She let out a small sigh, which was heard by her younger brother, who was seated on one of the couches in the living room.

"You alright, Lucy?" Morgan asked, placing a hand over the speaker of his phone as he turned around to face her.

"A million times, and yet you'll never remember that I hate that nickname," Lucina muttered as she walked over to her brother, leaning over the back of the couch. "Rough day, but I'm fine. So, how's Nah?"

The brilliant crimson her brother turned at the mention of the girl he so unconvincingly denied having a crush on made Lucina chuckle. The girl so clearly made her younger brother happy, even if he wouldn't admit it. "H-how did you know who I was talking to?" he questioned in an embarrassed screech.

"You talk to her every day around this time," commented Lucina. "Besides, you have your homework spread out on the coffee table, and you were exploding at dinner the other night about how she agreed to tutor you for the algebra final."

His cheeks redder still, Morgan quickly shouted "Call you back in a sec!" into the phone. "Hey, could I ask you something?" he asked his sister.

A smile crept up on her lips as she nodded. Morgan had been so occupied with his friends lately, unlike the days when she'd been his favorite person, so any chance to talk to him was welcome.

Her little brother looked down nervously, only his dark blue hair and nose visible."H-how do you ask a girl out?" he asked.

"Nah, right?" she inquired, eliciting only a nod. "Well it really depends on the girl. Tell me about her."

"Well, she's really pretty and smart and likes reading a lot," Morgan rambled, a dazed smile barely visible on his face. "Oh, and her mom's a dragon! Cool, right?"

"A… dragon?" Lucina repeated. "Do you mean a Manakete?"

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, and she had this pretty stone she can use to turn into a dragon! It's really cool. She showed me it once when Yarne wouldn't stop hiding in a hole under a tree so she transformed and pulled him out and left him stranded in a tree. She would have left him there, but the teacher got mad at her and made her get him down before-"

He would have gone on, but Lucina swiftly interrupted him. "You do realize that Manaketes live a lot longer than normal humans, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't mind," told Morgan. "Even if she only gets me for a little while, I'd make it worth ten-thousand years of happiness. Like Mom and Dad, right?"

Lucina found herself wrapping her sibling in an asphyxiating hug. "I think you'll do just fine if you just tell her how you feel, okay?" Her voice cracked with the bittersweet emotions in her heart from her brother's words. "Mother and Father would be proud of you."

"Thanks, sis," Morgan choked out as he tried to squirm away from her hug. "If this works, you can have my dessert for a week."

Releasing her hug, Lucina started up the stairs to her room, but not before calling back "No need, Mor-Mor."

The exasperated cry of "Lucina! I told you not to call me that!" made her laugh as she sat down at her desk and started laying her various textbooks precariously in the room. Finals were in a week, and they were quite possibly the most stressful thing she'd ever encountered. Her brain was nothing but a puddle of memorization for the next several hours, until her adopted mother called her for dinner.

Even then, she didn't say much at dinner except to comment on Morgan's euphoria over Nah agreeing to see a movie with him the next night. Lyn, their pseudo-parental figure, teased the boy, but Lucina mostly kept her mouth shut. She didn't feel like breaking her concentration for that long, and ate dinner at mach speed.

She studied until her brain was so fried that she'd written on one of her study guides that the first Magic School in Archenea was started by "Potato Chips" rather than Princess Elice, at which point she decided it would do her more harm than good to continue.

Laying on her back over her lilac bedspread, something Morgan had said earlier echoed in her head. Her Mother and Father, they hadn't really made a brief time worth a lifetime. Sure, Morgan might be under the impression that was so, considering he'd been alive for only a few months when they'd fallen victim to an awful accident, but to her, those memories were bittersweet, at best. Yes, she loved her real parents, and wished more than anything they had lived to raise her and her brother, but she had so few memories of them that they hurt to think of more than anything.

Lyn was a lovely guardian, but try as she might, she felt more like a perpetual babysitter or an older sister than a mother. Perhaps it was her carefree nature, but something made a disconnect between them. Their pseudo-father was around so very little that he barely made any impression on them, considering they had probably spent less than a month in his presence in all their lives. She still didn't understand how a man so obsessed with his work could be a good match for the free-spirited Lyn, but she chocked it up to the "Opposites Attract" saying Cynthia used to explain why two characters in one of her mangas should be a couple. Even so, she still liked her life just fine, and was glad she'd gotten such a large role to play in raising and protecting her younger brother.

As she drifted off, she thought she heard a distant voice, but she couldn't be sure.

The hazy veil of sleep was raised from her in a heartbeat by a sharp pain on her forehead. A small cry of pain escaped her lips as she groggily forced her eyelids open, seeing a bright yellow, star-shaped creature glowing faintly and hovering above her, while an obnoxious indigo glow came from near her head. As she sat up, she wrapped her fingers around a brightly glowing pendant of translucent blue-violet. The white hourglass shape in it made her decide at once that this was a fatigue-induced dream, and nothing that happened in it would make any sense.

Looking back, she had been half right.

* * *

_**AN- FE-centric, I know, but other characters from other series will appear. It just might take eight or so chapters for them to do so. For those who have little knowledge of Fire Emblem, Morgan is the Female Robin's son, and in this case also Chrom's. Lyn, and her unnamed husband who is most likely Jeff from Earthbound are the foster parents simply because they're Assist Trophies in Smash, and that made more sense than any of my other ideas for Lucina's adopted family. Also, the added connection to one or two characters that appear later helps. **_

_**This chapter was revised, and the prologue was added later as well. I just knew I could do better than my first pass and changed things up a bit. So, thank you for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	2. Luma

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Two- Luma_

A small, star-shaped creature stood before Lucina, who was wondering where this lucid dream of hers was going.

"Miss," exclaimed the creature. "The very cosmos are being drained of their power by forces from beyond this world! Our Lady was left no choice but to scatter the powers of the Alchemist's Spirits across Time and Space."

Lucina found humor the fact that her subconscious was trying to explain a crazy dream like this. "Alright, what do I have to do? Hold this pendant thing and say some words and I'll transform into some sort of magical girl with an extremely short skirt or something?" she asked. "Sounds like the kind of stuff Cynthia and Inigo watch," she added with a wry smile.

The creature blinked its small black eyes and sputtered in shock. "Our Lady said you wouldn't be so quick to comprehend our plight," it stated. "But you will need to use the power of the Alchemy Core to help me. You see," It flushed scarlet. "I may have been pursued by a Star Eater. You'll need to activate it to defeat it so it doesn't… er, dispose of me."

"How do I activate it?"

"Put it on and call out its name," it explained hastily, glancing out the window anxiously.

"Which is?"

"Time."

Lucina pulled the necklace on and stood beside her bed, calling out "Time" forcefully. A blue glow engulfed her, and she suddenly found her vision obstructed by something heavy and metal framing her eyes. Giving the mirror on her wall a sideways glance, she saw a pointed mask covering her face. A dark blue tunic and a red and blue cape had replaced her pajamas and her hair was pinned up. "What exactly is this?" she asked.

"The armor of the ancient Alchemist's Knights. You see…"

The explanation was cut off by a loud crash outside. The star-shaped creature jumped as it glanced out the window. Lucina followed its gaze to see a blue, metallic, spider-like beast outside the window. Its red eyes seemed to be scanning the ground as it hovered about. "Miss," the star creature called. "You need to defeat that before it finds me."

Lucina nodded and opened the window. She glanced down. It was a small ways to the next roof, but she knew she'd be able to make it if she willed the dream's reality to allow it. From the window, she leapt across the gap, but found the star creature had grabbed her cape to prevent her from falling. "Be careful!" it cried.

"My bad, how do I attack this?" she asked. The creature nodded and put two of its appendages together, making a small energy ball appear. A silver and gold blade burst from it, which Lucina took in her hand. She eyed the creature. "Hey," she cried, trying to attract it to her rooftop perch. "Over here!"

It whirred around and charged for her. "You need to call out an attack; try 'freeze'!" the star advised.

"Freeze!" Lucina called. The monster stopped moving very suddenly, almost eerily, as if time itself had stopped. However, the star creature seemed unaffected. Lucina dashed towards the monster, but found it out of reach from her sword. "How do I blast it?" she asked.

"You can't, Time doesn't have any offensive capabilities. You'll need to wait for time to restart and it to get closer to cast it again."

Lucina scoffed. Just like her to dream up such a silly superpower for herself. Time soon resumed and the creature came charging at her. It was moving at a frankly blistering speed. "Freeze!" she quickly called out again, making the creature stop moving only inches from her. If she hadn't been dreaming, she would have been horrified at the close call, but now she only slashed it rapidly with the weapon. It hit only hard metal, seeming to leave no wounds.

Jumping out of the way, she saw it start to turn towards her once more and charge up some sort of energy blast before she called out once more and it stopped moving. "Are my attacks even hurting it?" she asked.

"Try hitting that Flash Cannon attack back at it," suggested the star. "And cast 'slow' so you'll have time to do so."

Lucina nodded and jumped backwards. The second the creature resumed, she called out "Slow!" and its attack started hurdling towards her rather slowly. "Hitting it back", would that work? She wasn't sure, but, of course, logic was meaningless, so it probably would. She slashed at the silver orb as it neared her, and it sped up as it flew back in the monster's face. The smoke that settled on its glinting surface was a telltale sign it had worked.

It charged at her once more, causing her to call out "Slow!" once more to allow her time to rush out of the way. However, it changed directions to follow her midair and started to charge for her as time sped up once more. She tried to cast it once more, but speed failed her and it flew barely past her, tearing the sleeve of her costume.

Lucina grimaced in pain. Something scarlet was oozing out of her slight wound. "H-how?" she muttered. "I thought you couldn't be hurt in dreams. Is this not-"

The star creature flew over to her. "What, do you think this is some sort of game?" it cried in indignation. "Of course it's not a dream!"

How was this not a dream? This sounded completely made up, like the wild bedtime stories Lyn had used to spin about the exploits of herself and her friends. None of this was plausible. People didn't just get woken up by odd creatures and told they were going to save the world with ridiculous powers and costumes. However, the bright light emanating from the hands of the blue creature said otherwise. She dashed back to ready her sword to parry it and cast Slow, but an energy beam started hurdling towards her before she could speak a single letter. She prayed it was some sort of dream, bracing herself for the attack, but the star creature flew in front of the beam, a golden energy shield forming in front of it.

The energy bounced back onto the monster and it quickly crumbled into dark dust. However, the star fell out of the air as well. Lucina dashed to catch it in her arms, noting that it was covered in charcoal black wounds. "Thank you," she stated. "Are you alright?"

"Certainly not," it muttered. "That was lethal."

Lucina started to apologize; her ignorance had led to its death, but it cut her off. "Quick, before I go, I must tell you what you must do!"

Several more pendants, differently colored versions of her own materialized, floating vaguely above it. "These cores. You must find their bearers; the other Alchemist's Knights. They will guide you to their bearers, glowing brighter the closer you are to them."

"What are their names?" Lucina asked frantically. "Their attacks?"

Growing more distant with every syllable, it muttered "They are fire, ice, sky, air, …metal, …magic…, li-"

It became silent and limp, and the pendants fell onto its body. Tears blurred her vision as it dissolved into glowing golden dust that floated into the sky. The pendants fell into her hands, which she tightened in fear of dropping the devices. As the insanity registered in her mind, she realized she had no way to get back into her open window. Sighing, she located the gutter pipe and tore off her cape to brace herself climbing down it.

She located her brother's first floor bedroom window and rapped on the glass. As a small terrified scream came from the room, she saw hands reach under the blinds and open the window. As she climbed in, her brother's face, at first disdainful, turned to complete confusion. "What the heck were you doing and what are you dressed up as?" he asked, adding an ultimatum of "Ten seconds to answer or I'm calling Lyn!" as an afterthought.

Taking a deep breath, she explained the night's events rapid fire. "Well, I got woken up by a star creature that gave me a magic pendant that gave me powers over time and a weird costume, and then I battled a huge monster over on the rooftop, and then the star died trying to save me, so now I have to find the other people who can use the magic pendants. Any questions?"

"What?" Morgan stammered.

"It sounds crazy, but I'm your sister and I would never lie to you for any reason that couldn't be justified by petty desire for sweets. And considering there is no sugar involved, please, as crazy as I'm sounding right now, just pretend you believe me for ten seconds."

Slowly, he nodded. "Okay, I guess I owe it to you, considering I now have a dragon girlfriend thanks to you. Just, please explain it to me again, but this time more slowly."

"Okay," she sighed in relief. "But first, I need to figure out how to deactivate this transformation."

* * *

_**AN- Fighting evil by Luma-light! Helping sibling by daylight! Never running from a Steel-type! She is the one named Sailor Time! Okay, I am officially pathetic. Also, I know "Spider" isn't the best way to describe a Metagross, but bear in mind Lucina doesn't really have much else to compare it to. **_

_**Used to be a chapterly question here, but it was kind of stupid, so I removed it with the edit, which also removed an excessive amount of semi-colons. So, thanks for reading- Sailor- I mean Twilight Joltik**_


	3. Friends

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Three- Friends_

Lucina woke up to the shrill screeching of her alarm clock. She groaned: she'd be worthless at school that day, considering she'd stayed up for an hour trying to figure out how to deactivate her new superpowers. "Extinguish" had been the proper phrase, something she'd added to the notebook Morgan gave her. "It'll help you keep track of things before you forget them!" he'd insisted. She had written down in it all she could remember the star telling her about her powers while she'd attempted to reverse the transformation.

As she got ready, she noted the pendants on her bedside table. She took the indigo one she'd use the night before, placing it on her neck, and set out the rest on her bed. She took a pen and the notebook and attempted to figure out the name of each one.

_Indigo=Time_, she quickly jotted down. The others it'd managed to tell her before its death were Fire, Ice, Sky, Air, Metal, Magic, and something starting with an L. There were twelve pendants, or cores as the star had called them, in total, and she knew the names of seven of them. They were each different colors, so perhaps the names corresponded to the colors somehow? Time wasn't something she would have thought to be indigo, but it was an abstract concept, unlike the others which, save for magic, were things that usually had associated colors.

The grey one was most likely metal, so she jotted _Grey=Metal?_ down. Though two of the pendants were red, the one that looked less bloody seemed to be more fire-y, causing her to add _Red =Fire? _to her list. She would have thought Sky would be a pale blue and Ice a lighter one, but the only blues to be seen were a mid blue and a light blue-green.

A knock at her door made her contemplation turn to dust as she called "Come in!".

Morgan flung the door open and immediately launched into speech. "Okay, I was thinking about those power things, and I thought if Fire and Air were two of them, then Earth and Water probably are too," he suggested rapidly.

"Perhaps, but there are only two blue pendants and I already think Sky and Ice most likely occupy them," she stated.

"Maybe it's Ice instead of Water?"

She wrote Earth next to the other potential powers. "Okay, I still have nine powers to place. Any ideas?"

The eventually decided that Ice likely was the darker blue, while the blue-green was Sky. The golden pendant was designated as Earth, and they agreed that the white was likely air. Tentatively, they marked the purple as Magic, and the matter remained of what the remaining were. The L-word, they decided, was most likely Light, which they assigned to the yellow. Of the three remaining; green, dark red, and pink, green seemed easy to place as a plant power, and pink was possibly some sort of love or psychic power, so they were marked as _Plant?_ and _Love or Mind?,_ respectively.

"Okay, so what about the darker red?" Morgan asked.

Lucina stared at it for a moment. "I don't know. It kind of looks like blood, so maybe a mind control or death power?" she suggested.

"What would we call that? Mind again? Death?"

They stayed silent for a moment before Morgan gave a small giggle. "Y'know," he snickered. "It kind of looks like a giant pomegranate seed. We could always call it Pomegranate power."

Lucina rolled her eyes, but she glanced at the pendant once more. "Yeah, it does kind of look like pomegranate," she remarked, putting _Pomegranate_,_ Death_, and _Mind_ down as possible names for the final core.

Glancing at her clock once more, Lucina jumped, shoving the pendants into her pocket. "Sorry," she muttered. "I've nearly made us late for school."

"Don't worry, Lucy!" Morgan chided. "This is way more fun than school!"

Hurdling down the stairs, Lucina ran into the kitchen. She grabbed a banana and wolfed it down while shoving a piece of bread in the toaster. Morgan hastily shoved cereal and milk into a bowl as Lucina ran back upstairs to put her papers into her schoolbag. The two finished their breakfast at breakneck speed before rushing out the door.

Running at a blistering pace, the pair made it to the bus stop with less than a minute to spare. A blonde girl gaped at them, while a girl with long dark hair snickered. Casting a glare towards her, Lucina stepped onto the arrived bus, sitting next to her friend Cynthia. "Hiya!" she greeted brightly. "How are ya?"

"Fine," Lucina stated. She briefly wondered whether or not she should mention the events of the previous night to her.

"Cool," Cynthia continued. "I'm fine too! I started reading this really cool manga last night and I'm already on the fifth book! Can you believe that?"

"How nice," Lucina muttered. She suddenly realized that Cynthia was probably the most likely out of her friends to believe her, but that she might be a bit jealous of Lucina's powers as well. After all, the girl had read every Magical Girl manga under the sun, and involving her might complicate things for the both of them.

Cynthia continued on for a while about her new manga, but Lucina spaced out, only injecting a 'mm-hmm' or a 'nice' when necessary. The bus soon arrived at their school and they got off, Cynthia continuing their largely one-sided conversation until they had to part to go to their lockers.

Lucina drifted through the first half of the day, not registering hardly anything the teachers said. Yes, finals were coming soon, but they hardly mattered when compared to saving the cosmos, right? However, she was fairly certain her teachers wouldn't accept that excuse, so she feigned attention the best she could.

When lunchtime arrived, she found herself feeling a bit guilty about her decision to keep her powers under wrap. However, between Cynthia bombarding Gerome with the details of her new manga and Inigo flirting with nearly every girl to pass their table, she found herself with an excuse to keep fairly quiet, as she wouldn't be able to get in a word regardless. She took this as an opportunity to try to think what sorts of attacks the other cores might grant as she wolfed down the nearly digestible cafeteria food. However, she was soon asked her opinion on something or other by Gerome, causing her to laugh awkwardly as she blurted "Sure!" without a second thought.

"I was asking when you would be able to have a study session with us this weekend," he berated dryly.

"You alright, Lucina?" Inigo asked. "You seem sorta out of it."

"Yeah!" Cynthia added. "You were kinda spacey this morning too!"

A lump formed in the back of Lucina's throat as she choked out a half-lie. "I just stayed up late last night, that's all. I'm just a bit tired."

"Ah. Want me to buy you a soda?" Inigo asked with a wink.

"I'll be fine," she sighed. "But I don't think I could do a study session this weekend."

"Why not?" Cynthia pouted.

She quickly searched for something that would make more sense than "I've gotta save the cosmos.", arriving at "Someone's gotta make sure Morgan passes Algebra."

Cynthia frowned. "Okay, fine…"

However, Inigo looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Didn't you say that lucky kid got a chick to help him?" he asked.

Gulping, she quickly wove her deceptive web further. "Er, considering how he is, I don't think she'll be able to get much tutoring in," she chuckled.

Her friends accepted this, but she could tell they might not have believed her completely. Lunch ended graciously soon, and she began to drift back into her spaced-out routine of feigning interest once more. When the school bell struck at three, she let out a loud sigh of relief and started towards the bus before any of her friends could question her further. Of course, she spotted Gerome heading in her general direction in the halls, so she had to quickly duck into the ladies' room before he could notice her. She waited a moment for him to pass. The fluorescent lights flickered and she saw a faint glow coming from her pocket. Taking the pendants out, she gasped as she saw the red and blue cores shining with light. Were more Alchemist Knights near?

Dashing out of the bathroom, she held a pendant in each hand and noticed them grow a bit duller as she neared the exit. She quickly turned back, following the slightly increasing glow as she turned down halls she barely recognized until she found a mostly empty classroom where two boys were idly chatting as one with messy dark blue hair, not unlike her brother's, packed his bag and the other, a redhead, searched for a book on the bookshelf. The cores both shone with enough light to tint even the sunlit classroom with violet, and the two boys turned to see its source.

Lucina breath caught as the redhead faced her. She knew him well, considering they had often played together in their youth due to Lyn being a close friend of his father's. "Roy," she called. The familiar boy opened his mouth, as if to say something, but no words came out. "And, um, I don't know your name, sorry," she pointed to the blue haired boy, who looked rather confused. "I need to talk to you two for a minute."

* * *

_**AN- Yay! More Fire Emblem! Actually, not a single character mentioned in this chapter wasn't from a Fire Emblem game, save for the Luma. The girls at the bus stop were Noire and Severa, if you care. And I probably just totally gave away who the other boy at the end was, but I guess it's sort of obvious, due to who I designated the main characters as. **_

_**So, chapterly question time! Do you like the fact that Lucina has friends outside of the Sailor Senshi Alchemist Knights? Personally, I think it makes it feel like she has a life outside of her new duty, but I'd like to know what you think! Also, do you care if I designate the parents of the kids from Awakening? In case anyone cares, Cynthia's father is Gaius, Gerome's is Stahl, Inigo's is Lon'qu, Noire's is Libra, and Severa's is Kellam.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	4. Roy

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Four- Roy_

Lucina tried her best to explain everything to the two. She tried to cover everything from the cores to the monster from the previous night to the death of the star that had tried to explain everything to her. And she didn't blame them for dismissing her so easily, given she would have done the same in their position.

Roy gave an odd look to her. "Lucina, are you alright? Your face is a little red. Perhaps you should check your temperature when you get home," he suggested.

"Have I ever lied to you before?" Lucina countered.

"Well, you have been known to say some weird things while running a fever," Roy mused. "Anyways, you should probably get home before it gets too bad."

"Yeah, hope you feel better," the other boy nervously exclaimed as he tried to leave the room.

Catching the blue-haired boy by the wrist, Lucina called out "Time!" in desperation. Her clothes changed to the odd getup she'd bore the previous day. The two boys gaped at her, as if they couldn't grasp at what had just happened.

"How did you do that?" asked the blue-haired boy.

A smug smile crept up on Lucina's lips. "That's not all," she muttered. She grabbed one of the books from the shelf Roy had been searching through and tossed it into the air, quickly calling out "Freeze!" as it began to descend.

The gapes were even more pronounced. "H-how is that possible?" Roy asked in an astounded stupor.

"Not sure," Lucina sighed. "Probably magic of some sort. Anyways, do you believe me now?"

As the book fell to the floor with a dull thud, Roy took the red core from her hand, causing an upside-down triangle to shine in its glass. "Of course. I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first," Roy hastily apologized, his cheeks flushed with rose.

"Yeah, sorry," muttered the blue-haired boy. "That was actually really cool. So, what do we need to do- er, Lucina, right?"

"Yes, and you are-?"

"Ike," he stated. "So, what now?"

Lucina tossed Ike the blue pendant, which glowed with an upwards-facing triangle in its core. Their glows amplified as a white triangle appeared in each one. "We should figure out how to use these," she stated. However, as she saw a few students passing by the door, not glancing their way, something occurred to her. "But maybe we should discuss this somewhere a bit more private. Could you maybe come to my house later?"

"Yeah, sure," Ike agreed. "Wait, where is it?"

"Fourth house to the left on Thoron. Just come when you can, " Lucina answered. She muttered "Extinguish" and started to leave, but her breath caught upon seeing the time on a clock on the wall. "I'm sorry, you all must have missed your busses thanks to me."

"It's fine," Roy reassured her. "Don't worry about it."

Lucina apologized once more as she dashed out of the classroom, wondering how she would get home.

Luckily, Cynthia was standing in front of the school, waiting for her father to pick her up. "Hey, Lucina!" she greeted cheerily. "Don't you usually ride the bus?"

"Um, I missed it," she admitted, cheeks burning crimson. "D-do you think your father could drive me home? I-I mean, if it's too much trouble, I can just walk, but…"

Cynthia laughed brightly. "Oh, you know my dad; he's fine with pretty much anything! I'm sure he'd be glad to bring you home. And if he isn't," a devious gleam materialized in her eyes. "I'll make him do it anyways. I mean, I'm not gonna let my best friend walk five miles in this heat!"

Cynthia's father arrived not too long afterwards. "Sir, if it's quite alright, um," Lucina stated, attempting to be as polite as possible.

"Lucina missed her bus," Cynthia interrupted. "Can we drive her home?"

"Yeah, sure," her father agreed.

"Thank you, sir," Lucina stated as she climbed into the back seat.

Cynthia's father laughed. "Kid, for the millionth time, 'Gaius' is fine."

Lucina flushed red again. "Sorry, s-, I mean Gaius."

The loud laughter of Cynthia's father punctuated the roaring of the car's engine as it sped out of the school's parking lot. Lucina attempted to ask him to mind the speed limit, but it fell upon deaf ears, as neither Gaius nor Cynthia seemed to care. However, she noticed he was very quick to slow down whenever nearing a police officer, as if he'd memorized the locations of them.

Cynthia attempted to make small talk, but Lucina whipped out her phone, claiming she was texting her brother and telling him not to worry. That was half-true, at least. She had hastily sent a message to her brother: _Missed bus. Will explain later._ but she was more concerned with making sure Cynthia didn't ask any questions about why she had missed the bus. Luckily, they arrived at her home in record time and she hastily called out "Thank you!" as she ran to the door, sticking her keys in the door and dashing inside.

"So, explanation?" Morgan asked, running up to his sister.

"I think I found two more Alchemist Knights," she stated. "The cores started glowing, and reacted in their presence, so I told them to come over later so we could figure out what to do next."

"Nice," Morgan cried. "Looks like we'll be able to figure this all out after all! But, can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"Fate of the cosmos, remember?" Lucina berated.

Morgan looked down, guilt in his eyes. "Yeah, but I can't just stand Nah up. I don't want her to think I don't care about her."

Lucina sighed. "I understand. Go on ahead, I'll fill you in on anything we figure out."

"Awesome!" Morgan exclaimed. "Can't wait to hear about it!"

Morgan then sprinted off to his room, leaving Lucina in the living room. She placed her book bag next to the couch and sat down, pulling the notebook Morgan had given her out of it.

Next to Red-Orange=Fire and Blue= Ice? she wrote Roy and Ike, respectively. Perhaps they could help her think up some attacks for their powers? And if she had gotten their designation incorrect, they could certainly assist with finding the correct ones. She suddenly thought of something that would be rather helpful, and quickly pulled out her phone and searched through her contacts until she found the one marked Roy Pherae. She texted him a quick message: _Do you have Ike's number_?.

A few moments passed and her phone dinged with his response. _No, sorry,_ he'd said.

_Are you not friends with him?,_ she asked in response.

_No_, was his response. _He's just in my seventh period class and wanted to know something he'd missed on the study guide._

_Weird coincidence, then? I mean, us all going to the same school and you both being in the same place at the same time?_

_I guess._

_Do you think the others live here, then?_

_Maybe. We should talk about this when we get there. I'll be there in half an hour, I think._

Lucina suddenly remembered that she hadn't asked if she could have anyone over, and she knew Lyn would be irritated to find she'd invited people over without permission. What excuse could she use for this? 'School project' wouldn't work; it was too late in the year. Perhaps 'study group', then? No, she would probably not understand why her study partners were someone she'd barely spoken to in years and a boy she'd never met. Or she could just try to explain the situation to Lyn, which was perhaps the rational option

She quickly got up and knocked on Morgan's door. "Hey," she asked. "Do you think we should tell Lyn about this?"

He cried "Come in!" and, upon opening the door, Lucina saw he was on the phone and had practically his entire closet laid out on his bed. "On phone," he mouthed.

"Yeah, do you really think that random band I've never heard of shirt is a bad idea?", Morgan questioned into his phone. Lucina sighed and threw one of his obscure sci-fi movie reference shirts at him before walking back out.

"Thanks for your help!" she yelled back at the room, sarcasm edging in her tone. She sighed and sat back on the couch, deciding to make an executive decision and tell Lyn about her predicament. She was the closest thing she had to a parent, after all, and she might be able to provide some helpful insight.

She heard someone fiddling with the doorknob and rushed to the door, trying to prepare her explanation to Lyn. However, she instead found Ike at the door, holding a rather large stick that looked as if it had been ripped straight from a tree. "Lucina, I think there' s a bit of a problem," he stated coolly. However, as a loud roar came from behind him and he jumped, Lucina became stricken with fear.

"What-?" she stepped outside and peered towards the roar to see a large green and black beast.

* * *

_**AN- So tempted to write some joke here about Ike being best Sailor Senshi, but I shall refrain, for the sake of the world. This chapter was also edited to remove excessive semi colons and make the characters more in character. **_

_**So, chapterly question! Lucina's sort of weird about who she tells and who she doesn't. Do you think she was wrong to exclude her closest friends from her secret?**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	5. Ike

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Five- Ike_

Lucina started to panic. Another beast? Was it one of those "Star Eaters" that had been pursuing the star? How could she fight it?

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your very important daydreaming, but we kind of need to figure out how to stop that thing from destroying the city!" Ike snapped.

"Right," Lucina muttered. "Time!"

She transformed and reached to the sword sheath at her side. "Okay, so how do I do that?" Ike asked.

"Put on that pendant I gave you and try yelling 'Ice'," Lucina commanded. She then added a "Freeze!" to make sure the monster didn't kill them while they figured out what to do.

"Ice!" Ike cried, mimicking Lucina. Nothing happened.

Lucina felt her stomach churn. "Um, air?" she suggested, wildly trying to remember the other names for the cores and cursing the fact that she didn't have her notebook on her. "Sky?"

The green and black beast, which Lucina more clearly saw the upright dinosaur-like appearance of from this distance, began to move once more. "Air, Sky!" Ike attempted. The core remained inert.

"Freeze!" she called again, getting more desperate. "Um, one second, I'll just run inside and get the notebook and my phone."

"A notebook and a phone are supposed to fight off that thing?" Ike asked flatly.

"I wrote a bunch of stuff about the cores down in a notebook," Lucina explained as she dashed inside. "And I can call Roy." She quickly grabbed the notebook and phone from the couch and ran back outside to find time had resumed. "Freeze!" she cast once more.

She quickly picked up her phone and typed _Hurry up giant monster attacking _in the device, sending it to Roy. However, the screen didn't respond to any of her actions. Did technology, perhaps also fall prey to her time-stopping? "Darn it!" she muttered. "Can you fend it off while I text him?"

Ike nodded. "Yeah, sure. But I'll need this," he replied, grabbing the sword out of her hands and dropping the tree branch. She sighed and waited for the beast to start moving and her ally to dash towards it to retype her message. Sending it, she glanced back towards Ike, who seemed only slightly terrified.

"Freeze!" she called out again, dashing towards the battle. "Okay, we need to figure out how to activate your core. Here," she stated as she handed him the notebook.

Ike flipped it open. "Do any of these names make sense?" he asked after scanning the page. "I mean, metal, magic, death; what kind of powers are those? The only ones that really make any sense are ice, air and fire-"

He was cut off by Lucina's gasp. The blue pendant around his neck had flashed with light once more, the triangle becoming visible again for a brief moment. "It reacted! But what-?"

"Maybe it was fire?" he suggested, and the pendant shone again. "But why would the fire one be blue?"

"I don't know, but try it!" Lucina exclaimed.

"Fire!" Ike called. The core burst with blue light and enveloped him, ebbing away to reveal his attire had been replaced with a dark blue tunic and white pants with a tattered red and tan cape and dark green headband. Glancing at his clothing, he snickered. "Why does it have a cape?"

The beast started to move once more, and Lucina cast "Freeze" once more. "Okay, so fire, what sort of attack names would that have?"

"Um, flame, burn, flare," he suggested.

"Try yelling them!"

"Flame! Burn! Flare!" On the final one, blue flames spat out of the core and directly in front of Ike. Lucina had to jump back quickly to avoid them. He turned to the beast and cast it once more as time resumed again. It jumped back briefly, but seemed fairly unfazed by the attack.

"Lucina, it's not doing anything!" Ike yelled. "Freeze time again or something!"

"It might stop Roy from getting here," she pointed out.

"It didn't affect him earlier," he retorted, narrowly dodging a slash from the beast.

"It might have some sort of range thing, or-"

Dodging a sweep of its tail, Ike sighed. "Maybe next time we should figure out what to do before fighting a monster."

"That would be nice," Lucina replied, dashing to his side. "Can I have my sword back now?"

He handed it to her before yelling "Flare!" once more. Lucina ran at the thing, slashing it's body, but she felt stone behind her blade.

"I don't think our attacks are doing anything," Lucina observed. "Any other ideas?"

"Hold it off until Roy gets here and hope his power will actually do something?" Ike suggested.

"Yeah." Lucina agreed. She jumped back, sword held in front of her at ready. The beast whirred around and started lumbering towards her, while Ike took off and stood several feet away, at an angle with its line of sight. It continued after her, and she suddenly realized something very odd about this. Much like the beast last night, it was not targeting any buildings, only herself and Ike. They had been after the star, so perhaps they aimed to eliminate them as they had it. But why weren't they being seen by anyone else; it was, after all, a populated neighborhood.

She was snapped out of her thought by a orange energy charging in the beast's mouth. She quickly cast "Slow!" and ran out of the way. The attack hit the street, speeding up as it did so, and she quickly noticed the lack of any signs of damage on the asphalt.

She didn't have any time to ponder its meaning, as she found herself dodging another blast, this time some dark purple wave. It sent another towards Ike, who barely dodged it.

"Yeah, that's a giant monster," someone called from a ways away. Lucina turned to see Roy dashing towards the battle, the red core gleaming in his hand.

"Freeze!" Lucina cast once more. She and Ike ran to meet their ally. "Okay, put that pendant on and call out 'ice'," she instructed.

"Why?"

"It'll activate its powers or something," Ike explained hastily, before asking "Why would that one be ice?"

"If fire is blue, I think we can just throw logic out the window," Lucina stated.

"Alright," Roy agreed, throwing the pendant around his neck and calling out "Ice!". Red light enveloped him briefly as a downwards-facing triangle shone in the core. It vanished to reveal his clothing had changed as theirs had, a blue tunic with a cape, along white pants, blue boots, armor around his chest and shoulders, and a blue headband. "So, what do I do now?"

"Um, call out some sort of attack, er, maybe blizzard or frost?" Lucina suggested.

"Blizzard!" Roy called, a pale pink flurry of wind and ice shot towards the beast as time resumed. It hit it, and it most certainly flinched from the attack. "Frost!" he attempted again, dashing towards the beast. Lucina cast Freeze once more, and though the second command did nothing, Roy cast Blizzard once more and made the beast noticeably off balance once it began to move again.

"One more hit should do it," Ike cried as he ran towards it. "Flare!" he called. The blue flames hit the beast, which quickly evaporated into the same black dust the other one had turned into the previous night.

Lucina laughed with joy and relief. "Alright, we beat it!"

"And we figured out what we were doing, kind of," Ike added. "That's a plus."

"So, what now?" Roy asked.

Lucina glanced back at her house. Lyn had still not arrived, making her wonder just how much time that fight had taken up. She was going to have to tell her of this, but it might help to figure out what she was doing first. "We should find a safe place to train and figure out what other attacks we have," she stated.

"Sounds good," Ike agreed. "I'm sure there's some sort of abandoned parking lot or somethi-"

He was cut off by a loud, mechanical-sounding sputter and a bright blue glow. They instinctively glanced up, seeing some sort of large portal above them. A dark purple substance of some sort started to pour out of it, collecting into some sort of blob as it came out. It started to churn and flicker, while Lucina, Ike, and Roy backed away from it.

"What is that thing?" Lucina questioned aloud.

"Whatever it is, I don't think it's a good thing," Ike remarked. The purple blob started to grow larger and longer as it floated into the air.

"Blizzard!" Roy shouted, sending an icy blast towards the forming beast. As it hit, the creature quickly turned from an indistinct blob into some sort of black draconic beast in an instant, one that was very long and snake-like. Roy repeated his attack, panic edging into his voice, but the attack didn't seem to phase the creature, who charged for them. Ike attempted a Flare, but the blue flames seemed to do as little as the ice before it.

"Freeze!" Lucina commanded in panic. However, the creature didn't slow down. Grabbing her allies by the wrist, she tried to dash away as the monster let out a loud roar. "Nothing's working! What do we do?"

"You have time powers, couldn't you warp us away or something?" Roy frantically suggested.

"Warp?" Lucina repeated, raising her voice to be heard above the dragon's shrieks. Suddenly, an indigo glow came from her pendant and a circle appeared beneath her feet. White light shot up from it, enveloping her and her friends.

Lucina tried to blink the light from her eyes, but found spots in her vision as she attempted to focus. It seemed to be no longer warm and sunny, but cold and overcast. Feeling the grip on one of her wrists slacken, she heard Ike gasp. "What happened?" she heard Roy ask.

"I think I learned a new attack," Lucina remarked as casually as she could. "I don't know where we are, but it's somewhere else."

* * *

_**AN- Yay! Cliffhanger! And long battle chapter! I promise next chapter will be less action and more story. Also, the first monster was a Tyranitar and the second is Gloomtail from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, in case you were wondering. So yay, not all Pokémon! And I feel I should explain why Roy has ice powers, but that would involve spoilers, so I'm just going to say this; Fire Emblem Wiki is a beautiful place where you can learn things about these characters. Like why Roy has ice powers. In other news, I watched both episodes of the Fire Emblem Anime, and I highly recommend it (it's on YouTube). Also, I decided that Lucina and Ike will be Lucina Ylisse and Ike Ragnell.**_

_**So, chapterly question! Who do you want to see as other Alchemist Knights? This won't have any bearing on the story; I already have them all set out, but I'm curious as to what you all think. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	6. Warp

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Six- Warp_

Lucina eyed their new surroundings. They appeared to be in some sort of alleyway, crammed between two buildings made of brick. It was humid and damp, as if the dark clouds overhead had just stopped inflicting their watery wrath upon the world. The street, however, was made of some sort of stone brick rather than concrete. "We should look around," Roy stated, twisting free of Lucina's grasp and walking towards the main street. Lucina let go of Ike's hand and followed the redhead.

As soon as the three entered the street, Lucina noticed something very distinctly different about this place. A woman that walked by them was wearing a rather odd dress, one that reached far below her knees. A man passed soon after, wearing some sort of tunic. "This place is weird," Ike observed. "Everyone here looks like they're going to one of those reenactment things."

Those words made something click in Lucina's head. "Considering my power is Time, perhaps Warp doesn't warp you to another place, but another time?" she suggested.

Ike looked at her, eyes widening. "That doesn't sound good," he stated, laughing awkwardly.

"It would make sense, though," Roy added. "And I guess our costumes won't stand out too much here."

Lucina glanced down the street and started walking down it to the left. "We should try to find out what year it is," she declared. "Maybe then we can find a way to get back to our time."

The two boys followed behind her. "Yeah, that may be our best bet, but what if they use a different calendar than us?" Roy inquired.

"Uh-" Lucina hadn't thought of that. However, it did seem like a legitimate concern. "I guess if the warp goes wrong we can just try again until we find a time that uses our year calendar system."

"Besides," Ike added. "We don't know how to fight off that giant dragon thing anyways, so we should probably figure that out before we go back."

"So, does anyone remember from history class where time records were held in ancient times?" Lucina asked. "Or anything that might help us figure out when we are?"

"This does sort of look like some of those drawings and mock-up pictures they showed in history class of Altea before the Second Seal War," Roy remarked.

"Second Seal War? Wasn't that the one with the Earth Dragons?" Lucina asked.

"I think," Roy replied. "So, if that's where we are, and you didn't move us in time and space, then we're probably about a thousand years off from where we were."

"A thousand years?" Ike repeated. "So, we just need to find somewhere to train and then Lucina can warp us a thousand years forwards and we'll be good."

"Yeah, so where should we train?" Lucina asked. "Find somewhere outside of town?"

Roy shook his head. "It's a pretty big city; that'd take us a while. We should probably just find another alleyway or something."

Ike glanced to the side. "That looks good," he stated. Lucina followed his gaze and saw an alleyway, not unlike the one they had been in a moment ago. Turning towards it, the three looked around for something to practice on.

Lucina quickly decided that the wall in front of them was unlikely to break, unless one of them had some sort of explosive power, so she quickly looked for something to use to mark as a target. "Here," Roy exclaimed, handing her a stick when she asked for a marker. "Ike, use Flare on it and we can use the ashes to mark a target."

"Alright," Ike quickly shouted "Flare!" at the stick Roy had thrown on the ground, condensing it to a pile of charred dust in seconds. Lucina tried to pick up some of it, but found the paving stones to be damp and make the ash stick to it.

"That didn't work," Lucina stated. "Any more sticks?"

Roy looked around and quickly found a much smaller twig. "Would this count?" he asked.

"Maybe if you had five more," Ike replied with a small chuckle.

"We could always just use that ash pile on the street," Lucina suggested dryly.

Roy looked at it for a moment before commenting "It'd be a lot easier to hit if it were on the wall."

"Then find more sticks," Ike ordered with another laugh.

"Would it kill you to find them?" he retorted.

Lucina's attention was drawn away from her allies' squabble by the thudding of heavy footsteps approaching. She quickly turned to see three rather thuggish looking men with at least two very sharp looking axes in their midst heading towards them. Ike and Roy had turned towards them, and Ike pointedly whispered "Use Freeze so we can get out of here," in her ear.

Lucina almost cast it, but she soon noticed that the men had stopped moving and were blocking the entrance in such a way that they wouldn't be able to squeeze past them. Lucina pulled out her blade and held it in front of herself sideways.

"They look pretty well-off," one of the men pointed out. "Think that sword'll be worth anything?"

"We'll find out," another stated, bouncing his axe's blade in the palm of his hand threateningly.

Hearing attacks on both Ike and Roy's lips, Lucina pointed her sword towards the group of thugs. However, their attack was interrupted by a loud shout of "Don't you dare!" as a thin blade was thrust between the heads of two of their assailants. "Now," a voice that sounded like that of a young man threatened coldly. "Drop the weapons or I'll have to make sure I don't miss next time."

It took the ruffians less than five seconds to drop their axes and dash away from the alleyway. The one who'd saved them, who was wearing a dark cloak and a hood over his head, placed his rapier back into a sheath tied to his waist by a leather belt. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine," Ike stated coolly, a crimson flush on his cheeks. "We could have saved ourselves, you know."

"Considering that girl had no idea how to hold a sword, I had my doubts," the cloaked figure replied, a flicker of a smile visible beneath the shadowy hood.

Roy sighed and went up to the young man, extending his hand to him. "Thank you, and forgive us for our friend's insolence."

Shaking his hand, the cloaked boy chuckled. "I was glad to help. Those three stir up an awful lot of trouble around here. Are you three travelers?"

"Of sorts," Lucina admitted. "How did you know?"

"If you were from Altea, you would have known not to be standing around in alleyways," he stated rather bluntly.

Ike muttered "Sorry, we were just looking for a place to train," red still burning his cheeks.

"Perhaps try somewhere outside of town, or perhaps I could offer you use of the castle's courtyard?" the cloaked figure suggested.

"How could you offer us use of the castle's courtyard?" Lucina asked, feeling she had probably missed something important. "Shouldn't it be guarded?"

A sharp inhale came from the young man. "Oh, how rude of me! I still have this cloak on, don't I?" He quickly threw the hood off, revealing blue hair and some sort of golden headdress. Lucina felt her skin prick with goosebumps; something was unnerving about him. She forced herself to not stare at him further in an attempt to figure out why. "I am Marth, prince of Altea. May I have your names?"

"I am Lucina Ylisse, and these are my, er, friends, I suppose, Roy Pherae and Ike-"Lucina stopped, realizing she didn't know her ally's surname. "Wait, what was your last name again?" she quickly asked.

Her words didn't seem to reach the blue-haired boy for a moment, who was gaping at Marth, much like she had been tempted to. "Oh," he seemed to register her question after a moment. "Ragnell."

"Right. Ike Ragnell."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," the prince stated curtly. "But may I ask why you all are staring at me?"

Ike turned red once again, while Roy started to apologize profusely. "I'm sorry, your highness, I just thought you looked a lot like Lucina, that's all!"

Lucina suddenly realized why she'd been unnerved by the prince; he looked almost uncannily like her. His hair was a similar shade, his eyes had the same pointed deep blue stare that Morgan often joked could kill a man if she held it too long, and even his facial features resembled her own. "Really? Lucina, would you mind taking your mask off so I can see this resemblance for myself?"

"Mask?" Lucina repeated. She had completely forgotten her costume included one. She took it off and felt her hair fall back onto her shoulders, as if it had somehow been pinning it up.

Marth gasped softly. After a moment of staring at her intently, he muttered "Yes, I suppose the resemblance is rather striking. Do you have noble blood, miss Ylisse?"

"Not that I know of."

He turned and started back towards the street. "I suppose we can investigate this further," he beckoned. "You three, please follow me to the palace. I will arrange for you to continue your training, because if Lucina's performance is any indication, you really need it."

Lucina felt a small smile on her lips nodded and the three Alchemist Knights followed behind Marth. The storm clouds overhead started to resume their downpour, but as Lucina walked behind the prince, she noticed a bright golden glow in her pocket.

* * *

_**AN- Yay! More obscure Fire Emblem references! Also, Marth, which I have been excited about adding from the start! Also, may I just say that I'm overjoyed at all of the new favorites, follows, reviews, and even the community feature! Really, you guys mean the world to me, and thank you for all of your support! **_

_**So, chapterly question! Are there any Nintendo enemies you would like to see used in this story? I'm curious as to what you all think. **_

_**So, thank you all for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	7. Marth

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Seven- Marth_

Lucina fished the glowing core out of her pocket. It was almost blindingly bright and didn't waver as she walked along the stone street. Though Ike and Marth didn't notice, as they were walking ahead of her, the glow quickly caught Roy's eye. "What's that about?" he asked.

"They did this before," Lucina answered. "Before I met you and Ike. They glow brightly in the presence of the person chosen to wield it."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "You mean Prince Marth? But what are the odds of that?"

"What were the odds of three of us going to the same school," Lucina countered.

Marth glanced back at them. "What are the odds of what?" he inquired.

"Do you mind if we discuss it at the castle?" Lucina quickly asked.

Marth turned his head away from them, throwing the hood back over it. "Gladly. We should hurry; the rain will only fall faster."

The prince quickened to a blistering pace, leaving the Alchemist Knights attempting to match his pace. The four of them made a mad dash towards the grey spires in the distance, Lucina stowing the golden core away and deciding to hold the mask above her head to shield it from the rain. Needless to say, it was one of the least effective umbrellas she had ever used.

The sprint to the castle, while not horribly lengthy, was exhausting. By the time the castle was within reach and Marth was attempting to get the guards to let them in, Lucina was panting and gasping for air, as was Roy, and Ike,( though he was attempting to hide it,) also looked like he was ready to keel over as well. After a moment, the large door of the castle was opened from the inside by a pair of guards, revealing a stone path to a larger building.

"Thank you," Marth called as he walked through the doorway, beckoning for the other three to follow. "So," he began, everyone else attempting to keep up with his brisk pace. "What was it you wanted to discuss, Lucina?"

"Is there anywhere that we could talk where no one could listen in?" she asked.

The prince nodded and quickly turned from the walkway and into a small shack several yards away, Lucina following his steps. He threw open the door and stepped into the dark building, which judging by what the thin shaft of light the door cast, seemed to be a storage room of some sort. "Will this work?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Roy replied, shutting the door back, casting the meager light from outside away. However, the golden glow of the core in her pocket provided a bright enough glow to almost fully illuminate the room, which seemed to be used to store primarily weaponry.

"What is that?" Marth asked.

Lucina pulled it back out of her pocket. "This is what I wanted to talk about. You see-"

She tried to explain all she knew, skirting around the fact that they hailed from another time, considering it would probably make everything sound even less plausible than it really was. After she finished explaining everything, Marth glanced towards the golden glinting artillery against the wall. "If you don't know who you seek to help or why, then why do you fight?" he asked rather plainly.

Lucina had to think for a minute. Luckily, Ike interjected before she had the chance to admit that she wasn't sure. "We want to find out what's going on, right?"

"Oh, yes!" Lucina replied eagerly. "And the best way to do that seems to be doing as the star creature asked."

"Not to mention it saved Lucina's life," Roy added.

Looking down, Marth grabbed the cord of the pendant, pulling it out of Lucina's hand. It began to glow even brighter, a white symbol resembling an hourglass on its side split in two appearing in it. "I suppose you have a point, but I have no obligation towards this task, and I fear it would interfere with my ability to help my kingdom." He thrust the core back at Lucina, making the symbol vanish. "I'm truly sorry, but I must decline your offer.

Blinking in shock, she tried to search for some argument to get him to join them. She understood his choice, but she also knew that she was instructed to find all of them. What she was to do if one of them refused wasn't ever mentioned, but she was sure that it'd be best to not let one go. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ike glancing away, looking just as confused and anxious as she felt. "I would be glad to offer you a place to train, or stay until you return to your home," Marth offered. "Speaking of which, I don't believe I caught the name of your home."

"Talis," Roy quickly lied.

"Ah. Princess Cadea is a dear friend of mine. If you happen to see her when you return, give her my regards, won't you?"Marth requested. "So, would you like me to try to show you some proper combat skills? You're free to borrow any of our weapons; we have quite a few, but I don't believe I'd be any help in anything but swordplay ."

Roy walked up to a stand with several swords on it, picking a rather elaborate looking silver sword with a golden hilt. Ike, however, eyed a rather weighty looking one with a golden blade. Lucina started to ask him if he would be able to carry it, but he answered by picking it up with one arm without difficulty.

Marth led the three of them into an offshoot of the path and into a small courtyard graced by a few flowering plants, bushes, and a green-leafed tree. "I know it isn't set up for training, but the knight's training area is in use at the moment, so this will have to do," he apologized. "Luckily the rain has quieted, but I know it's still less than ideal."

"It's fine," Ike quickly assured. "Thank you."

The prince then sat his cloak on the ground and drew his own blade, which looked more like a fencing sword than the far broader ones wielded by the others. "Lucina, would you mind if I borrowed your blade for a moment? It would be easier to instruct them using a proper sword, and you seem to have the most experience out of all of them."

"Didn't you say I needed help the most earlier?" Lucina countered, the corners of her lips turning up slightly.

"Yes, I suppose you're correct," he sighed. "One moment, please."

He returned with a simple iron sword in his hand and proceeded to give a rather lengthy explanation of how to properly hold a sword. Lucina felt as if they were wasting their time; she had meant for them to learn how to use their cores, not new weapons. However, she held her tongue, not only because her sword was her only reliable way of hurting an enemy, but because she wanted to not get on Marth's bad side. After all, she needed to find some way to talk him around to joining them.

She did feel like she was learning things, though. He was a good teacher, and seemed to know much about fighting. She offhandedly wondered if he'd had to use his skills for more than defending random civilians, but judging by the casual way he talked about combat, the answer was likely no.

The lesson was interrupted with a small question from Roy. "Do you guys hear something?" Lucina strained her ears. There was something off in the distance; a groaning roar that sounded rather sickening.

"Please tell me it's not another one of those Star Eaters," Lucina groaned. "How could they follow us across time?"

"Excuse me?" Marth butted in quickly. "What do you mean 'across time'?"

"Can I explain later?" Lucina asked, taking her sword and glancing around desperately, trying to find the source of the noise.

"We're not from here, we're from the future; Lucina's power lets us travel through time, and we accidentally ended up here," Ike hastily explained. "Got it?"

A slow nod from Marth answered. "So much for explaining later," Roy muttered, scanning the area as well. "Is it just me or does it sound like it's coming from underground?"

No sooner had he said that than a trio of rather decrepit humanoid creatures emerged in front of the group. They seemed to be wearing hoods that had holes exposing glowing red eyes and loincloths, and they reeked like rotting meat. "Great, zombies," Ike remarked with an uneasy smirk, drawing his overlarge sword. "This should be easy."

Their response was charging at them, slashing with gnarled claws. Marth quickly drew his rapier and stabbed one of them through its abdomen, which did little but provoke it further. It narrowly missed his throat with its next slash.

Lucina nearly cast Freeze, but was interrupted by a loud battle cry from Ike, who charged the zombie and sliced it neatly in two. Lucina then turned to one of the others and charged it with her blade, slashing its head off before it had a chance to do anything about it. Roy mirrored their actions, taking down the last one.

As the zombies crumbled into dust, Marth sheathed his rapier and extended his hand to Ike. "You saved my life. Thank you," he stated with a smile.

Ike shook it, his cheeks turning red. "I guess we're even now," he chuckled nervously.

"I suppose I'm indebted to all three of you," the prince remarked.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Lucina replied. "But would you perhaps reconsider our offer?" she asked, pulling the golden core out of her pocket.

Marth took it from her. "For the time being, I suppose. If you really can travel through time, I suppose I won't lose any of my own by helping you."

"Thank you!" Lucina exclaimed.

"However," Marth added as he gathered his cloak, "I reserve the right to ask to come back at any moment."

"Of course. Now, let's get back to our time," Roy stated.

"Any ideas on how to do that?" Lucina asked.

"Warp a thousand years in the future?" Ike suggested.

"Okay," Lucina clutched her core in one hand and her sword in the other, stepping closer to Marth and the other two stepping closer to her. "Warp a thousand years in the future!" she repeated forcefully.

A white flash of light obscured her vision, but when it cleared up, it was not the courtyard or her own street that greeted her, but a shimmering building that looked to be at least a hundred stories tall. It was circled by some sort of railway; making it look like any image of a futuristic city she'd ever seen in a movie. "You think we overshot it?" she heard Roy ask, an edge of annoyance in his voice.

* * *

_**AN- So, sorry about the wait; summer is over now and that's sad, but I'll try not to let it mess up my regular updating. I hope it was at least sort of worth the wait. Also, thanks to Inuyasha Armin Scarlet for suggesting using Risen. **_

_**So, chapterly question. Who do you think will join the team next? We'll probably see the next member in the next chapter, and the only hint I'll give you is that it's (finally) not a Fire Emblem character. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	8. Leaf

_**Quick AN- New viewpoint of a new character from the mid-chapter divide on, okay? Thanks. –Twilight Joltik**_

* * *

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Eight- Leaf_

As they took in the colossal skyline looming over them, Lucina heard a sharp inhale from Marth. "Your future is quite a bit… taller than I would have thought," he remarked in awe. "Why are those towers so, for want of a better word, shiny?"

"This isn't our future," Ike answered. "It's probably, what, a few hundred years after us?"

"I think so, but why would warping one thousand years in the future bring us here?" Lucina questioned.

"Maybe it took it as one thousand years in our future?" Roy suggested. "But it seems a bit underwhelming for that far away."

"I think you're right," Lucina agreed. "But if so, shouldn't we be living in space or something by now?"

A white capsule that looked like a subway train shot around the central building of the skyline at lightning-fast speed, disappearing somewhere behind it. Marth ran out in front of the group. "Shall we investigate the glimmering towers?" he beckoned with a sideways smile.

Ike started walking towards him. "Sure, but you do know those are just glass, right?"

"How on earth would they procure enough glass to make such a large city?" Marth questioned. "It's such a fine commodity-"

"Future, remember? Things change."

Roy glanced towards Lucina. "Is it a good idea to just walk into some city?" he asked with an uneasy raise of an eyebrow.

"I suppose. I mean, it worked out fine last time, right?" Lucina countered as she began towards the tall metropolis.

* * *

Leaf glanced up at the Silph Corporation's headquarters, the place that had loomed over her life for five years. They had stolen her home, her friends, and in a way, her brother. Today, she had decided, was the day she would make them repent for every tear they'd made her shed.

"Ready, Leaf?" Green asked her.

She nodded. "As much as I'll ever be," she sighed. After a moment, she uneasily added "Do you think I'm ready? Shouldn't we wait for Red?"

"We can't afford to waste another second," her partner stated, dodging her question. "The longer we wait, the longer people suffer."

"You're right. It ends now," she affirmed. Reaching to her belt, she grabbed Jigglypuff's Pokè Ball and pressed the button on it, calling out her cute pink partner. Green took one of his Pokè Balls in his hand, tossing it to release his Pidgeot.

Using their respective Pokémon, they flew (or rather floated, in Leaf's case) up to the magnet rail that wrapped around the building, providing commute from Goldenrod City to Saffron. The magnet trains arrived directly in the building every fifteen minutes or so, and they caused enough of a blip in the security that they could likely use it to their advantage. As they reached it, Green pulled out another Pokè Ball, calling out his Magneton. It quickly started to float up towards the magnetized rail, but was stopped by Green, who tugged down on it. "Don't turn it on until the magnet train comes around. I'll hold on to you until then, promise."

The magnet Pokémon became little more than a dead weight, other than the occasional blink. Leaf could see Green struggling to keep a hold of it, and Pigdeot struggling to hold both of their weights, but neither paid any mind to their struggles and looked forward, awaiting the train. Leaf had always admired Green's resolve and strength, and though she would never admit to it, envied the boy for it.

Her partner suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Now, Magneton!" he cried. His electric-type Pokémon suddenly began to shoot up towards a white capsule that was speeding above them, pulling both humans and their other Pokémon up towards it, and attached to it with a clank.

Leaf let out a laugh. "It actually worked!" she exclaimed.

Green gave a sideways smirk as he withdrew his Pidgeot. "Once the train takes us in, we've gotta run to the supplies closet as soon as we can, are you ready?" Leaf nodded, calling back her Jigglypuff.

Suddenly, she heard a sickening thud of metal hitting metal and a cry of pain from Magneton. It must have been knocked down from under the train, as she suddenly saw the enormous tower floating past her in reverse. Green let go of her hand and struggled to reach Pidgeot's Pokè Ball to stop their descent. Leaf fumbled for her Jigglypuff as well, but found it was falling a little ways ahead of her. She must have dropped it when she was knocked from Magneton. Green's panic-stricken face and mutter of "I'm so sorry!" told her the same had happened to him. Leaf didn't want to look down to face death with bravery, as she knew her brother would have. She closed her eyes and felt tears wetting her lids, bracing for the impact.

A freezing gale shot up around them, with a distant call of "Blizzard!", and she felt the harsh wind slow her fall drastically. She shivered as a pair of arms caught her. "Are you alright?" a male voice asked, panic filling it.

Leaf blinked her eyes open. A young man with ice blue eyes and crimson hair was looking back at her. "Er, I should probably put you down," he stated with a chuckle. She found herself collapsed on the ground with only a tiny impact. An apology came from the young man's lips, but she could barely hear it over the pounding of her heart.

"You saved me," she remarked in awe. "W-why would you do that?"

"You were about to die," he replied. "I mean, anyone who was able to would have-"

"How did you save us?" Green interrupted. "I don't see any Pokémon with you, but you clearly used a Blizzard attack."

"Pokémon?" a girl's voice repeated. "What's a Pokémon?"

A haughty scoff came from someone, probably Green. "How in the name of sanity could you possibly not know what a Pokémon is?" he asked.

"Maybe she got hurt and can't remember anything?" Leaf suggested. "You know, like amnesia or something?"

The young woman laughed a little. "No, we're just not from around here," another voice, this time male added.

"Where are you from then, the moon?" Green asked. "Seriously, I don't think there's anyone on the planet that doesn't know what a Pokémon is. What kind of shut-ins are you?"

"Stop being rude!" Leaf cried in indignation. She had no idea who these people were, but considering the rather charming boy who seemed to be with them had saved her life, she felt as if Green had absolutely no reason to insult them. "They could just be from somewhere far away, or maybe the Silph people captured them and did some brainwash thing on them-"

"If we told you why we don't know what those Pokémon things are, you wouldn't believe us. Can we leave it at that?" Leaf's red-haired hero requested.

"At least tell me how you used an attack without even the faintest knowledge of Pokémon," insisted Green.

"This," the redhead explained. Leaf sat up to see what he was referring to, and saw the boy was holding up some sort of red pendant that hung around his neck. "I have no idea what kind of attacks you're talking about, but this lets me use ice powers."

"Roy, is it really the best idea to tell such things to complete strangers?" questioned a young man wearing a long, dark coat with a hood.

Green stared at the pendant Leaf's hero, who was apparently named Roy, had referred to. "So you lot work for Silph? I heard rumors they were working on such things, but I never thought they were so far along. How do they work? What are their limitations? Can you use all ice type attacks or-"

"Listen, if they know about the cores, we might as well mention the time travel," the young woman, who had long, dark blue hair stated, arms crossed and brow furrowed.

"Time… travel?" Leaf repeated.

Green sighed, his face now buried in his hands, as it often was when he had a headache. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"You see, this is why you're not in charge," another young man, with blue hair and a green headband tied around his head groaned.

"Who said I wasn't," countered Roy. Leaf found some odd part of herself thinking "Wow, heroic and assertive!", and another part of her told that part to shut up, considering he was probably also either a little touched in the head, working for Silph, or both.

"I know!" Leaf suddenly exclaimed. "Since they might be important in Silph, maybe they could help us!"

Green leaned down and put his hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know you think it's best to assume the best of people, but this world is cruel and most people don't have your best interests in mind. Why would they be any different?"

"But they saved our lives!" Leaf pouted, standing up to be even with him. She wasn't about to let Green turn down her opportunity to learn more about these mysterious people (especially Roy, added that part of her brain she wanted to be quiet). "Isn't that proof enough?"

"I know our word doesn't count for much, but I promise we're not trying to hurt anyone," the blue-haired girl added.

"Fine," Green hissed, leaning over to pick up the Poké Balls they had dropped in their fall. "But if you're wrong, I'm not going to forgive you just on the principle that Red's your brother. Back to HQ, then."

"Thank you!" Leaf cried, attempting to tackle Green with a hug, only to be pushed away. "Don't worry," she added to the others. "I'm sure he'll come around. So, do you want me to tell you about Pokémon?"

"Sure?" the blue-haired boy answered. As they started to their headquarters, Leaf found herself drawn to looking at their odd new friends. She wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not, but she was certain something was glowing in the girl's pocket.

* * *

_**AN- So, I suspect no one was expecting Futureland to be the Pokémon world, huh? Well, considering medival-type Fire Emblem became modern day for the most part, it shouldn't surprise you that I'm unconventional. Don't worry, next chapter will explain more about these characters and their goals and motivations. Also, to Animal Addict, there will be Zelda in this.**_

_**So, chapterly question! I'm planning on posting side stories about some of the characters in this story to give them some backstory. For instance, showing signifigant incidents in their past. My question is, would you rather they be posted as insert chapters in this story, or have their own story called Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden or something like that? Either way, there should be one up soon-ish about some of the characters in the Pokémon world. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	9. Green

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Nine- Green_

After twenty straight minutes of the girl, who had introduced herself as Leaf, trying to explain them to the group, Lucina had officially decided Pokémon were completely confusing and frankly a bit silly. For one, almost all of them had names that were some sort of random portmanteau or pun, for instance, "Jigglypuff" or "Squirtle". Furthermore, they had abilities that hardly made much sense, but seemed to be inherited to the creatures. When Leaf attempted to explain how her small, yellow creature; "Pichu" was able to use lightning powers, she found her head spinning from the nonsensical explanations she gave.

Roy seemed to take the concept in stride, and deemed the creatures "actually kind of interesting," as he'd put it. However, if she was baffled by the concept, Marth was triply so. Though he didn't say a word of it, Lucina could tell the prince barely understood half the words coming out of Leaf's mouth. Ike simply admitted that he "didn't get it" and left his side of the conversation at that, but Lucina noticed him making an effort to explain foreign concepts to Marth without being too obvious about it. For instance, when Roy had asked if Pichu's electrical system was at all comparable to a circuit, Ike had added "Y'know, does it enter one end and flow through it until it reaches the other and all that?". He'd received an odd look from Roy and Leaf, but the small nod Marth gave and the smile Ike gave back made Lucina grateful he was taking such measures to make the prince feel included.

In time, the group arrived outside of the city to a warehouse that seemed as if it hadn't seen human presence in thirty years. Green knocked sharply on the steel door in an odd pattern, and a blue glow surrounded it as it whirred open. A girl with brown hair and a red bandanna greeted them with a scowl. "I told you that silly plan of yours wouldn't work! Next time you do something stupid, can you at least not do it so high off the ground?"

"May, you never said anything about it not working," the boy Leaf had said to be named Green scoffed. "Besides, I have a new idea of how to get in."

"Oh really?" May asked eagerly, the hostility vanishing in an instant. "Well, hurry up and- wait," she glanced behind the boy, seeing Lucina and her companions. Her scowl returned. "Who the Weedle are they?"

Green sighed deeply. "My plan. You see, if you recall, I found evidence that Silph was trying to implant Pokémon moves into humans. And it seems that they succeeded, using-" Green suddenly snatched the cord Roy's core dangled from, breaking it quickly. Roy let out a cry of protest, but was swiftly interrupted by Green. "These things. The red-haired one-"

"His name is Roy!" Leaf clarified loudly. Lucina noticed a crimson tint on the girl's cheek, not unlike the one Morgan bore whenever Nah was mentioned, and tried very hard to hold back a chuckle.

"-he used a Blizzard attack using one, and yet he claims to not know what a Pokémon is. I suspect brainwashing in order to better connect them to the technology," Green explained. "So, perhaps they could be used in some way to navigate the headquarters better."

May huffed. "This all sounds ridiculous! How the Caterpie would they have been in the Silph building for long enough to have been tested on without running into at least one Pokémon? And furthermore, how would Silph have been able to make such a device?"

"I'll try to deconstruct it and find out," Green replied, tossing the core in the air before catching it.

"No! S-stop that!" Roy stuttered out. He lunged for the core, and Green turned away from it coolly. "Really, I need that back!" Roy pleaded. "Please, just give it-"

"You can have it back when I know how it works and if it can help us destroy Silph! Really, it's in the best interest of all of us, so please just allow me to borrow it," Green requested, irritation breeching his icy demeanor.

Lucina sighed. "It's not a machine, so if you attempt to deconstruct it, it will more than likely break," she attempted to explain.

"If it's not a machine, then what is it?" retorted Green.

"Magic, I presume," Marth answered calmly, stepping forward and flicking his hood down, revealing his blue eyes blazing in frustration. "I cannot pretend I know how they work, but if I had to guess, I would say they allow their wielders to cast spells without the use of a spellbook or staff."

Green laughed, May gave them a very odd look, and Leaf's eyes lit up like candles. "Really? Those things are magic! How awesome! You've gotta show me how to use it, please!" she exclaimed, jumping in front of Marth.

Pushing the girl aside, Green huffed. "Please stop joking around. Magic isn't real."

"Oh really?" Marth declaimed, as if he was challenging Green. "Then how would you explain the fact that my friend Tiki can transform into a dragon? Or how my sister is able to heal wounds with nothing more than a staff?"

"Yeah, and my brother's girlfriend can turn into a dragon too," Lucina added.

"And my friend Lillina can cast spells," Roy continued. Lucina stifled a giggle. She remembered the girl, another daughter of one of Lyn's friends, trying to use magic once at a party in an attempt to impress Roy, and nearly burning down the house while doing so.

"My friend Soren can use wind magic, and my sister can use those staff things," Ike stated. He added "Well, not very well, but kind of," under his breath.

Leaf's eyes shone, as if their claims were spells in themselves. "That's amazing! Please show me how to-"

"Stop," Green hissed. "I trusted your odd claims before, thinking you were merely confused. However, this I can't look past. Your blatant lies are painful to hear, and I'm afraid I won't tolerate it any longer." Taking a few steps back, he held a red and white orb in his hand and pressed a button on it, making a large blue creature that looked like some sort of frog ninja come out in a burst of light. "Greninja, take care of them."

Lucina began to say something of the fact that their creatures seemed as magical as anything in their time, but was stopped by Leaf rushing up next to him and promptly chomping down on the arm he was holding Roy's core in. Green let out a small yelp of pain, and Leaf snatched the pendant out of his hand and delivered it to Roy. "Here you go!" she chirped, blushing.

"Thanks," Roy muttered, fiddling with the chain to try to get it to stay together. "How did you break this in the first place?" he asked Green, who was still reeling in shock from what had happened.

"Cut it when you weren't looking," he replied with a snarl. "Leaf, what the Wurmple were you thinking?"

Leaf crossed her arms. "You had no right to be so rude to them after they saved our lives!" she proclaimed.

"So you believe them, then?" May asked. Lucina jumped a bit; she'd forgotten the brunette was there.

"Of course!" Leaf asserted with a grin. "They saved our lives, and there isn't anything they've done to make me think that was a ploy. Red always accepts anyone who wants to help, and he's never gotten us in a worse place doing that, so why should I be any different?"

Green sighed. "Okay, let's wait until Red gets back. Then he can be the judge on whether or not these lunatics should be dealt with." He stepped towards the steel door and swung it shut behind them rather violently, flicking a switch on the wall to light up the building.

Lucina blinked in the suddenly bright light. The building, as she now saw, was covered in papers strewn across the room, with a few computers humming brightly. Not too far away from the door, a graceful-looking green and white creature, probably another Pokémon, stood in the shadow of some sort of bulletin board. Was it what had opened the doors earlier?

"Don't touch anything," Green ordered. "You might mess something important up."

Ike picked up a stray paper from the ground. "'Evidence Silph is working on a Doomsday Plan," he read. "What? Um, d'you mind explaining this?"

"The Silph Corporation is a technology company that started thirty years ago and quickly gained complete monopoly of the production of all electronics," Green explained, as if he was reciting something he'd said countless times before. "It wasn't long before they gained enough wealth to become insanely powerful. Their CEO has been a political leader for many years now, and they began to buy out many of Kanto's most populous cities. The old capital; Viridian is owned by them. Saffron- that's where we are- is also owned by them, and was recently appointed the new capital city."

"And they bought our hometown, Pallet, and turned it into a research facility," Leaf explained, her bright eyes dulling a bit. "They were trying to find a Legendary Pokémon. Our friend, Blue, she knew that and- and- they- she-" Tears welled up in the girls eyes as she screamed "Those monsters, those- those BIDOOFS! They murdered her!"

"That's why we have to stop them," Green finished, Leaf too tearful to speak. "They will do horrible things if we let them, and if we don't stop them, they could use that Legendary Pokémon to take over the whole world."

A strained silence filled the warehouse, finally broken by a soft statement from Marth. "I am sorry for your loss, both of your home and your friend. I truly wish the very best for you all. Please forgive me for snapping earlier."

"Yeah, is there anything we can do to help?" Ike added.

Green shook his head, and May quickly dashed off to a computer. "Red should be back from Cerulean soon, do you think you feel up to trying out Plan Number 472 or whatever we're on?" she asked.

"Very funny, May," Green huffed haughtily. "And of course. Leaf, you should stay behind for this one."

"Never!" the girl roared. "This is as much my fight as it yours and my brother's!"

Roy glanced at Lucina. "What should we do? I mean, there's not really any point in staying."

Ike gave a small laugh. "And to think I actually noticed something before you two! Lucina, haven't you noticed your pocket is lighting up again?"

"What?" Lucina reached in her pocket and pulled out the blood red, or "Pomegranate", as Morgan had called it, core. It was pulsating oddly, in a way much different than the steady glow that heralded her meeting of the three boys that wielded the other cores. "What could that mean? Surely it's not one of them?"

"Fate works in odd ways, doesn't it?" Roy chuckled. "I mean, that first warp was an accident, yet it still brought us to Marth."

"You don't think this could have been planned, do you?" Lucina asked. "I mean, for five to be in roughly the same location, geographically, and to be spaced exactly one-thousand years in the past and future, this couldn't possibly be a coincidence!"

Marth, yet again, looked a bit lost. "'First warp', do you mean to say you encountered me on the first try?"

"Yeah, pretty lucky, I guess," Ike remarked, a bit of crimson on his cheeks. Lucina thought she heard a hint of something she couldn't quite place behind the words. Kindness? Care? Whatever it was, Lucina realized she had been hearing it almost every time Ike spoke to Marth. Was it possible Leaf wasn't the only lovestruck one?

She was snapped out of her musing by a triumphant cry from Roy. "Hey, Green, you're trying to break into that big skyscraper, aren't you?" he questioned. Lucina turned to see the redhead looking at an incredibly detailed schematic of the building they'd seen earlier. "These notes, you say they have the least guards around the south entrance."

"If you're suggesting we attempt to break in there, don't bother," May countered. "We've tried. Seven times."

"No, I'm suggesting you cause a diversion there," Roy rebutted coolly. "With so few guards, if something happened there, it would surely cause the most suspicion and cause a bunch of the other guards to hurry there, making the other entrances easier to break into."

Green and May turned from the computer screen, while Leaf let out a cheerful laugh. "That's incredible! And you only thought of that just now?" The girl praised in awe.

"A fresh pair of eyes helps sometimes," Roy muttered as Green got up to look at the diagram.

"Not bad," Green muttered. "You think it might work?"

"Maybe?" Roy replied. "I mean, it's just a thought."

"If you want us to trust you, then prove it," Green hissed. "This plan of yours; if it's not a trap, then I'm sure you and your friends wouldn't mind accompanying us."

"What would that prove?" May questioned. "I mean, if they're really working for Silph, they wouldn't get captured."

"May, tell Red to meet us at the building," Green ordered. "He can be the judge of these four."

Lucina gulped. If the core wasn't reacting, she'd have hightailed it out of there in an instant. Regardless, as her fellow Alchemist Knights agreed to help Leaf and Green, she felt a sense of dread.

* * *

_**AN- Longest chapter yet! Next chapter will have the proper introduction for the Alchemist Knight of Pomegranate, I think. Also, I hope no one's upset about the shipping. I don't know where RoyxLeaf came from, but I think IkexMarth is cute. Regardless, I think you can tell how hopeless their crushes are. P-probably. In other news, that Gaiden chapter should be up probably some time after the next chapter in its own story, called Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden. Also, be sure to pay attention in the Gaiden chapters; I plan to add some hidden tidbits about the story. Speaking of which, if you're the twenty-fifth reviewer, you will win the right to ask me any two questions about this story's future events! That totally isn't my idea; I'm borrowing it from Reading Addicted, but I think it's a fun idea. **_

_**So, chapterly question! Do you like the Pokémon characters using loser Pokémon as curse words? I, personally, find it hilarious. After all, Bidoof is the best insult I can think of. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	10. Red

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina _

_Chapter Ten- Red_

The glass building that towered over the city seemed to pierce the sky and continue past it forever, at least when looking up at it from its base. "My, however could such a tall structure be made by humans?" Marth questioned in awe.

"Actually, it was probably mostly made by Fighting and Psychic-type Pokémon," Leaf corrected.

Marth looked rather sorry he had asked. "Er, so, how far up do we need to go in that thing," Ike asked.

"We need to break into the central mainframe of the computer, which is in the upper floors," Green stated.

"And how are we going to get up there?" Roy questioned. "Surely by the time we climb the stairs, we'd have been found out."

"There are warp pads that take you to other parts of the building," explained Green. "Of course, we have no good way of telling where they'll lead, but they'll keep us moving."

Lucina groaned. Why must she be involved in such a half-baked plan? The blood-red blinking in her pocket reminded her, and she desperately hoped it wasn't for either of the natives to this time they were assisting. While they certainly had good intentions, the fact remained that they scarcely realized that they had absolutely no clue what they were doing.

Green glanced around the strangely empty streets impatiently, most likely seeking the boy named Red. "Green, you don't have your PokèGear with you, do you?" Leaf asked.

"Of course not!" he proclaimed. "What kind of a fool do you think I am?"

"No, I meant to call Red," Leaf clarified.

Green looked a bit distressed, but Lucina couldn't tell why. "We'll wait a bit longer. I told May to meet us if anything happened or Red sent out any message."

"Green, I know you think they have trackers in them, but maybe it would have been a good idea to bring your PokèGear with you so Red could call you if something went wrong," Leaf berated with a bit of a victorious smirk.

Shaking his head, Green quickly changed the subject. "So, just to review, once Red gets here or once we get tired of waiting, those two," he gestured towards Ike and Marth. "Will act as if they are trying to break into the south entrance, which will give the rest of us an opening to attempt to sneak into the east entrance. Once inside, we'll make our way to the nearest warp pad and proceed from there."

"Excuse me, but this plan sounds a bit suicidal if you ask me," Lucina challenged. "I mean, if Ike and Marth are caught, we'll have no way to help them escape, and we'll basically be wandering around the facility with no sure escape plan."

Green stared at her, his eyes scanning her for something. Did he think she was telling some lie? "We have May's Kirlia to warp us out if we're cornered," he retorted sharply.

"But how are we to escape?" Marth countered. "Certainly you don't mean to leave us for dead!"

"Don't your 'magic powers' allow for that?" Green snorted in a cruel laugh.

"You had no way to know that for certain," Marth remarked sharply. "And furthermore, we do not happen to possess that ability, at least to my knowledge. Your intent was to get us all killed, was it not?"

Green fell silent. "Just as I thought!" Marth continued with contempt. "That is absolutely sickening! There are people who care about us all! To hurt us is to hurt many others, not simply eliminate a problem!"

"Yeah! To not trust us is one thing, but to sacrifice us just to get us out of your way is just plain evil!" Ike exclaimed.

"I knew there was something off about you," Roy continued. "But I never would have thought you were this despicable."

Lucina put her hand on the sheathed blade at her side. "We had no intentions to hurt you," she affirmed. "In fact, I think Leaf has more to fear from you than us."

Leaf stared at her partner and looked as heartbroken as she had when telling of her lost home and friend. "Green, is that really true?" she asked.

Green turned away from the young girl. "I promised Red I'd protect you. I promised him no harm would come to you, and I'd defend you at any cost. I thought they were trying to deceive us. I was so sure they were tricking us that I thought there wasn't any chance of them getting hurt."

Lucina felt as if the young man was trying to say something deeper, but it wasn't quite coming out. Had he promised Red he wouldn't allow Leaf to fall in love and leave? No, something else. Something graver; she could tell as much from the look in his eyes. "Green, why did you promise Red you wouldn't let anything happen to me? Isn't that his job?" Leaf questioned in an amused half-smile.

"N-no!" Green's voice cracked. "Not anymore! R-red went to Cerulean to find something out about the Legendary Pokémon, something dangerous. I'm not sure what, but he called me a few days ago and said he'd probably not make it out. Leaf, y-your brother, he- he's-"

Leaf went over to her partner and put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up hope!" She gave a shaky smile. "Even if he was in danger, I'm sure he was just taking precautions, just in case. Unless someone finds a body, there's no reason to think he's dead yet!"

"How can you be so hopeful?" Green asked in disbelief. "You've seen nearly as much as I. How are you still able to always assume the best?"

"Blue wouldn't have wanted us to lose ourselves to avenge her," Leaf stated softly. "I know you and my brother want to do good in the world, but shouldn't you do it with a smile instead of a frown?"

Green faced the girl. "I suppose so," he muttered. "Perhaps we should plan this out before attempting it again."

Lucina sighed in relief. She feared what would have come of that plan if it had been carried out. Of course, her relief only lasted for half a second, broken by several guards in black uniforms, all marked with a red S. "So you were the ones who tried to break in earlier, weren't you?" one of them called, holding a red and white ball like the ones Green and Leaf used to send out Pokémon.

Masses of the guards surrounded them quickly, backing them up to the wall of the building. Green gave a slight nod to Leaf, and the two sent out Pokémon; a huge brown bird and a small pink puff that Lucina recognized as the "Jigglypuff" the girl had told them about. The creatures started to hover in the air.

The guards sent out waves of Pokémon, including large, slightly terrifying bats, purple snakes, armored yellow and brown shrews, and several others. Many of the creatures spat some sludge at the Pokémon sent out by Leaf and Green, which quickly fell out of the air and were called back by their masters.

Roy cast a glance at Lucina. She nodded; they needed to help out if they were going to make it out unscathed. "Freeze!" Lucina called. The creatures and their owners all flickered to a standstill. Roy grabbed Leaf's hand, but she remained frozen, as did Green.

"It froze them too!" Roy cried in frustration. "We can't just leave them! Lucina, what do we do now?"

"How should I know!" Lucina exclaimed. "I'm no more experienced with this than you!"

The red-haired boy looked confused before shaking his head and turning to the blue-haired prince. "Marth, activate your core. You might be able to do something to get us out of here."

"And how am I to do that?" Marth asked, holding the golden core.

Lucina racked her brain. What had gold been? She couldn't recall, so she fished the notebook out of her pocket and scanned the pages. "Um, I'm not sure. It could be Earth, but it might be something else."

"Earth?" Marth repeated, his core not reacting.

"Lucina, what else?" Ike asked. "Hurry, I don't think Freeze will last much longer."

Lucina started to read the list of potential powers, but was cut off by another loud cry from outside the wall of guards. "Flamethrower, now!" called a voice. A pillar of fire shot into the air, and it was followed by a red dragon flying upwards, looking down at the guards and their Pokémon with contempt. As time restarted, the guards started to back away in fear. A young boy in a red hat stood in the center of the part, a green creature with a flower on its back standing beside him. "Come on, hurry!" he called to them before commanding the green creature to take one of the bats out of the air with a barrage of seeds.

Leaf and Green hurriedly dove through the part in the crowd, and the Alchemist Knights followed. They ran through the streets, finally stopping a few blocks from the tower. Leaf hurriedly embraced the boy upon stopping. "Red! I knew you were alive!" she exclaimed tearfully.

Red put an arm around his sister before giving Green a sideways glance. "I told you not to mention that to her," he reminded him.

Green looked away from them. "Red, please forgive me. I made some horrible mistakes while you were gone," he confessed.

"Or rather, he accidentally tried to kill us because he thought we worked for Silph," Roy clarified.

Red glanced at the Alchemist Knights. "Who the Magikarp are you?" he asked. "And what the Magikarp are you wearing?"

"I have no idea!" Ike declared. "Er, about the clothing, not about who we are."

"We are warriors from another time fighting to protect the cosmos," Lucina explained. "We're here because of this," she fished the Pomegranate core out of her pocket and gasped softly. The blinking light of earlier had grown steady and bright. "Red, please take this," she ordered, walking over to the young man and handing him the core.

A teardrop-shaped symbol shone in the core the moment he touched it. "What is this?" Red asked. "Looks a bit like a Pomeg berry's seeds."

Lucina chuckled. "Pomeg berry"; was that the future name for pomegranates? "I think you're meant to join us," Lucina explained. "They light up like that whenever they're held by their wielder, so that must mean it's yours."

Red glanced at his sister and friend. "Are they telling the truth?" he asked.

"Of course!" Leaf affirmed. "Roy- er, the one with red hair, he saved my life, so we owe our trust to them."

"I suppose he saved mine as well," Green added. "So yes, I think we should trust them."

Roy shot the two of them a grateful grin. "So, you want me to help you?" Red repeated. "Sure, but can it wait? I have a lot to tell these two."

"Sure," Roy agreed. "I mean, we can just warp back here if we need his help, right?"

Lucina nodded in agreement. "Sure. Hold onto the core, Red. We'll be back soon enough."

Red thrust the core back at Lucina. "Nah. You keep it so I'll know you'll come back, okay?"

Lucina nodded and held her core in one hand, beckoning her comrades with the other. "Okay, what do I say?" she asked Ike.

"Warp home?" he suggested.

"Warp home!" Lucina repeated loudly, and a white light enveloped them.

When it cleared, they were back on the street in front of Lucina's house, the great dark dragon still looming above it.

"What is that?" Marth questioned shrilly.

"Darn it! Forgot about that!" Lucina cried. "Marth, activate your core. Try saying, um," she flipped through the notebook. "Sky?" she suggested.

"Sky!" Marth repeated loudly. The golden core laying on his chest glowed brightly, the triangular rune reappearing in it. He was enveloped in a white light, and reemerged wearing a costume nearly identical to Lucina's, save for it being a brighter blue and still including the headdress he'd been wearing. Drawing his rapier, Marth looked upwards.

"What attacks would Sky power use?" Roy inquired.

"Maybe Clouds or Storms," Ike suggested.

Stabbing the sky with his blade, Marth cried "Strike!" and a gold pointed beam of energy shot from it. A loud roar of pain emanated from the beast in the sky.

The other three Alchemist Knights stared at the prince in awe. "How did you know to do that?" Roy asked.

"I do not know," Marth admitted. "But I suppose it worked. Strike!" he called again, sending another shot up to the great dragon.

"Alright!" a voice called from somewhere above them. "I'll take it from here!"

A volley of blue energy arrows shot at the beast, which let out another great cry of pain before falling to the ground in a spray of dark dust. A boy with messy brown hair and a pair of white wings on his back lightly descended next to the quickly evaporating pile of dust, striking a pose similar to the heroes of Cynthia's mangas, a blue bow at his side. "Piece of cake!" the angel exclaimed. His eyes flitted to the cores gleaming around their necks, and he grinned. "Finally found you guys!"

"Who are you?" Lucina quickly asked.

"I'm Pit," the angel declared. "Servant of Lady Rosalina!"

* * *

_**AN- Well, an awful lot happened here. And things will only continue to happen from here. Anyways, I changed my mind on the Gaiden chapters. They'll be posted in the main story instead of separately. It seems a bit cruel to make you go out of your way to get part of the story. Each main character, along with some of the side characters will have their own Gaiden chapter. Who knows; there might just be secret information about the plot and characters hidden in it. Er, I mean that more literally than you think… **_

_**So, chapterly question! Who's your favorite character introduced so far? From a purely literary standpoint, I like most all of them, but I think, oddly enough, Roy's the most fun so far to write for, mostly because his weird formal/informal speech is pretty similar to my natural writing style. Of course, that's not taking into account what I have planned for the characters later, as the answer would probably change then. Also, do you like the new chapter names? I thought they sounded better.**_

_**So, thanks for reading, and remember the twenty-fifth reviewer gets to ask two questions about the story!**__** –Twilight Joltik**_


	11. Gaiden Red- Brushfire

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story One- Red- Brushfire_

Red and Leaf were seated on Green's bed, listening to him harp on about why the Silph Corporation was evil and responsible for "Government Corruption", something neither of the siblings knew the meaning of, when the PokèGear on Green's dresser rang to herald the news that would change the three friends' lives forever.

Green was the one to pick up the PokèGear; it was his grandfather, renowned Pokémon Professor Oak who was calling with the news. Though neither of them could hear it, Red knew something was wrong from the astonished, pained look on Green's face. "No, that's not possible!" the spiky-haired boy affirmed in disbelief. "That couldn't happen, right Gramps?"

Leaf looked at her brother. "What's going on?" she asked. "Why is Green so upset?"

"I don't know," Red muttered, grabbing his sister's hand. "But whatever it is, I'm sure everything will be alright."

Green simply repeated "Uh-huh," into the phone a few times as the conversation dragged on, before finally exploding into a shout of "How could you let this happen!" that finished the conversation.

"What's wrong?" Leaf asked, her brown eyes filling with fear.

Shaking his head, Green turned away from them. "G-gramps. He said- he said Silph bought out Pallet Town," he spat out with great difficulty.

Red felt his heart stop for a moment. "What does that mean?" his sister asked.

Red squeezed his sister's hand. "It means that they own Pallet Town now," Red explained, knowing his friend should be spared from explaining the worst of it, trying to keep his voice steady. "They can do whatever they want with it now, and we'll probably have to move."

The young girl began to sob into her brother's sleeve. "B-but I love it here!" she whimpered. "I don't wanna leave! Big brother, isn't there anything we can do?"

"No, there's not," Green stated somberly. "It's already been done. We'll have to leave as soon as possible so they can begin using this place for research."

Leaf locked Red into a hug as tight as a Tangela's Constrict while Green hit his head aginst the wall in frustration. "Stupid! I should have known this would happen!" cursed the boy. "This place is the most rural place left in Kanto! Of course they'd use it for research! Not to mention it's close to Viridian and the Indigo Plateau, so it's perfect for them!"

Red tried to turn out of Leaf's hug to grab his friend's arm, but failed. "Relax, Green. It's upsetting, I know, but it isn't your fault," Red reassured.

"Red, what are we going to do?" Leaf wailed. "Are we going to have to live in the woods?"

"Silph is giving the citizens of Pallet free housing in Saffron," Green explained bitterly. "So we'll probably end up there."

Letting go of Red, Leaf looked up, eyes still red and watery, and suddenly smiled. "So everything will be okay!" she exclaimed, her voice cheerful, yet cracking. "As long as we're still friends, and we're all together, we'll be fine, right?"

Red shot his friend a glance. "Please, no matter what the truth is, just say yes!" he thought.

Green grunted. "I suppose so," he stated, not sounding convinced of Leaf's optimism in the least. Red sighed in relief. "You two should go tell your mother. Would you like me to come help explain it?"

"Sure," Red agreed, standing up. "Just don't freak her out with all of your… er, opinions on Silph, okay?"

Green nodded, and Red tugged on his little sister's hand. They exited Green's house and started towards their own, but Green stopped dead in his tracks upon almost reaching it. "Red, look over at Blue's house."

Red glanced towards the house belonging to the young woman that had always been his role-model, even if she was, perhaps not the best one. A two men in black uniforms were situated in front of it, Blue being held at gunpoint by one of them.

Red heard the shouts from the men. "You know too much!" one of them cried. "We can't let you spread anything!"

"I don't know anything!" screamed Blue. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"We need to help her!" whispered Leaf pointedly.

"No!" cried Green. "Leaf, they're dangerous. Red, please, get your sister somewhere safe. I'll stay behind and protect Blue."

Red grabbed his sister's hand and ran. Leaf was sobbing in fear, but silently; she didn't want the men to notice that they had overheard part of their conversation either.

The two children hid behind a house, far from Blue's. Red held his crying sister and struggled to hold the tears in himself. Green had not said anything of it, but he knew why they'd been sent away. Not because of danger for them, but because of the danger Blue was in. The young woman had always been a friend to the three of them, a mentor that would always help them out, despite their age difference. Red had admired the woman for much of his life, and always had begged his mom to hire her as a babysitter whenever she went out. She wasn't that much older than them, but she had always seemed cool and independent, but whatever was happening to her, Red was sure she wouldn't survive it.

Green found them a few moments later, and he told them what he had overheard. Apparently, Blue had accidentally overheard some Silph executives talking about a plan of theirs; apparently the one that had led them to buy out Pallet. Apparently, it had involved luring the Legendary Pokémon Mew to the area with some technology to capture it and use it to gain power. Blue had attempted to tell some authorities about this, but Silph had gotten wind of this and decided that this knowledge of hers was to valuable to allow her to stay alive.

Green admitted to having fled before the gunshot was fired, but knew regardless that the woman had likely died. Not even Leaf attempted to add positive outlook to it.

That was when Red knew what the future held. Green had always said Silph was capable of terrible things, but that was the moment he truly knew it. Murdering an innocent individual just for accidentally overhearing something; it was unspeakable. Such things could not go unchecked, and Red vowed he would do his part to avenge this woman, and any others that had fallen to their hand.

Of course, it never occurred to him that he didn't know the whole story behind Blue and her fate. No, that wasn't something he would learn until much later, when he'd looked death in the eyes and became the bearer of a deadly, yet heroic weapon that had nothing to do with the Pokémon he'd grown used to using.

Yes, he'd be the Knight of Blood before he knew the truth.

* * *

_**AN- Gosh, that got dark! It's not as bad as it sounds though; Blood is the proper name of the Pomegranate core that Red wields, so Knight of Blood just means he's an Alchemist Knight by that point. This is five years before the main story with them, so Red and Green are about thirteen, and Leaf is about ten. So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	12. Nah

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Eleven- Nah_

The four Alchemist Knights stared at the angel that had appeared from nowhere. "'Lady Rosalina'?" Marth repeated. "Did she send you here?"

Pit nodded. "Yep! She wanted me to help guide the Alchemist Knights, considering the last guide sort of…"

The angel boy trailed off, and Lucina nodded gravely. The first guide must have been the star that had sacrificed itself to defeat the first Star Eater. "Yeah, so," Pit continued. "I guess you managed to find the first four of you alright."

"First five, actually," Roy corrected. "Red stayed behind in his own time."

"Whoa, you guys already figured out the time travel?" Pit exclaimed in disbelief. "I guess I don't have that much to explain, then."

"No, please, explain away!" Lucina insisted. "We don't know anything about what we're supposed to be doing or why we're doing it."

Pit took a deep breath and began to explain at top speed. "Okay, Lady Rosalina is the leader and protector of the Observatory, a city that floats around the universe, protecting young stars, also known as 'Lumas', and watching over the galaxies. But lately, it's been sort of hard to do that, since this group called the 'Star Eaters' thinks they can get more powerful by harvesting the power of the stars. They actually were founded a really long time ago, but the ruler of the Observatory before Lady Rosalina used his magic to create spirit guardians that could defeat them. His power alone wasn't strong enough to beat them, so he gave the power of the cores to twelve knights, which defeated the Star Eaters. Well, at least for then; they're back now, so I guess they weren't totally defeated."

He laughed awkwardly before continuing. "So, anyways, when Lady Rosalina saw the Star Eaters attack some star to get its power, she sent out the Alchemist Spirits out so the cores could be used again, and I guess they ended up with you guys, so it must have worked. She sent a Luma to help you, but, well…"

Lucina nodded. "I'm very sorry I couldn't save it," she apologized, her guilt coming back in pangs.

"Don't worry about it!" Pit reassured her with a cheerful grin. "Since it's a star, it'll just become a comet or star or something."

Lucina looked up at the sky. The stars were just barely beginning to come out. It must have been a bit later than she'd recalled, as she was sure she left in the afternoon. She wondered if the Luma that had helped her was shining in the sky, or would be someday.

"So, those Alchemist Spirit things, did they fuse with us?" asked Roy.

Pit nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry, it doesn't do anything to you except let you use the cores. Er, Lady Rosalina told me to be sure to mention that to you."

"And another thing," Ike added. "Was it random, or did you single us out?"

"I'm not sure," Pit admitted. "Even though I'm Lady Rosalina's number one assistant and guard, I still don't know everything about this. Can we just move on to abilities? She made me memorize this whole big list of them, and I really don't want it to go to waste."

Lucina pulled out her notebook. "Anyone have a pen?" she inquired. No one replied, so she put the notebook back in her pocket. "Never mind, I'll write them down later."

"So, um, which ones do you have right now?" Pit asked.

"Time, Sky, Ice, and Fire," Lucina answered, glancing at the gleaming pendants around their necks. "And the one that looks like a pomegranate seed, but I'm not sure which one that it."

"Okay, Time has an attack called Passing that speeds up time, I remember that. Fire has one called Eruption, Ice has, er, Bind, I think? And Sky… wait, Lady Rosalina said something about one of Sky's attacks. Oh, what was it called?" Pit looked like his head would soon overheat from overuse. "Something weird- Wait! I remember! It was called Lodestar! Lady Rosalina said it could teleport you to where someone is if you have something of theirs, so it could bring you to the other Alchemist Knights."

"Lodestar?" Marth repeated. "That word sounds familiar, but I cannot recall what it means."

The angel shrugged. "No clue, but I think you're supposed to use the cores to teleport to the others. Okay, other attacks, gosh, what were they?"

Lucina was suddenly very irritated at Pit. Yes, he had given them important information, but he seemed to be rather incompetent. However, it was better than no help at all, she supposed.

As Pit wracked his mind for the attack names, a red gem on the scarf he was wearing started to blink with great urgency. "Uh-oh! This looks bad! I've gotta run. Catch you guys later!" he exclaimed, his wings glowing with a blue halo as he flapped up into the air and vanished through a portal that had appeared, not unlike the one the dragon had formed from earlier.

"Wait!" Lucina called, too late for the angel to hear her. "We still need to know stuff and-"

Roy placed his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine, Lucina. After all, we have you to get us through this," he reassured her.

Glancing back at the boy, she remembered how much younger than her he'd once seemed to be. When they were young, the boy seemed like a child, always looking up to her and expecting her to know what to do. Though that had been so long ago for both of them, she could still see traces of his admiration for her. "Roy, I'm not that much older than you, and I'm certainly not that much more experienced," she confessed. "What we've been through; it's as much your work as it is mine."

The redhead drew his hand away and looked down. "I know. I'm just glad that of all the people to be saving the world with, it's you."

Turning around, Lucina saw confusion spreading across Ike's face. "Wait, you two know each other?"

"My dad's good friends with Lucina's foster mother," Roy explained. "We've know each other since we were kids."

"'Foster mother'; you're adopted?" Ike asked.

"Yeah, my mother and father died when I was little," Lucina acknowledged.

"So," Roy quickly changed the subject. "Now that we know how to track down the others and get back home, should we get going?"

Lucina glanced at her partners, and clearly saw a severe lack of energy in their faces. She felt her own eyelids growing heavier as well, so she shook her head. "No, I think it would be better for all of us to just get some sleep. Let's meet up in the morning, alright?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right; I am getting kind of sleepy," Ike admitted. "I'll see you later, okay?" He glanced at Marth and frowned slightly before walking off down the street.

"Good night, Lucina," Roy stated with a small smile before setting off in the opposite direction Ike was headed.

"Marth, if you'd like, I can return you to your own time and pick you up later," Lucina offered the blue-haired prince.

He shook his head. "No thank you. I considered it after Red did so, certainly, but I think I would rather stay with you all. All of you seem like such nice people; I would like to get closer to everyone."

"Alright. I'm sure it would be alright if you stayed at my house."

Lucina started towards her house, Marth following. Pushing open the door, she saw Morgan sitting on the couch anxiously, and Lyn standing near the hearth, turned towards the door. Morgan jumped and grinned sheepishly upon seeing the door open, but his face soon fell as he seemed to register who it was that had walked in.

"Aw, it's just you," Morgan pouted. "How was that thing you were doing?"

"It's a long story. Is Nah here yet?"

"No," her brother sighed. "I thought you were her at first. Thanks for getting my hopes up for nothing."

"So, how was whatever it was that Morgan was so against telling me about?" Lyn asked.

Lucina took a deep breath. "Lyn, if I told you something that seemed completely impossible had happened, would you believe me?" she started uncertainly.

After a moment's hesitation, Lyn nodded. "Yeah. So what, did a dragon attack you on your way home from school?"

Lucina gave an awkward chuckle. "Actually, kind of. Well, it was after I got home, but we took care of it."

"It better have not been Nowi," laughed Lyn. "I mean, Morgan doesn't need things to be any harder for him; he already looks like he's going to explode. Speaking of which, who's with you?"

Lucina tugged on Marth's hand, and the prince, who was looking around at every piece of technology around him with bewildered curiosity, stumbled inside. "Oh, this is Marth."

The prince politely bowed his head. "It is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

Lyn and Morgan stared at Marth intently. "You didn't find some sort of cloning spell, did you?" Morgan asked.

Taking another deep breath, Lucina began to explain the events of the past day to Lyn. "Well, last night, this star creature gave me this" she held up the Time core. "and told me it had magic powers I needed to use to save the universe. It can control time, and I defeated this giant metal spider last night, but the star died and gave me the rest of the pendants so I could find the other people chosen by them. I found two; this boy named Ike and Roy, well, you know him, and then we had to beat this other monster. We defeated it, but then another one came and I accidentally teleported us a thousand years in the past, which is where we met Marth, who came with us because he has one of the powers. Then we accidentally ended up a thousand years in the future and almost got killed and met another person with a core, er, that's what this is," She held the core up again. "And then we ended up here and that dragon got killed by an angel that works for the lady who sent the star that died and the cores."

Staring intently at her, Lyn smiled. "That's my girl! Saving the world and slaying beasts, sounds like me back when I was your age."

Lucina and her brother both laughed, but they soon stopped. "Wait, were you serious about that?" asked Morgan.

"Dead serious!" Lyn affirmed. "I told you how Roy's dad, Lilina's dad and I saved the world from destruction, I know I did. Every night when you two were little you'd beg for me to tell the story about the cloaked man and the legendary weapons. Heck, didn't you guys used to pretend you were legendary heroes, saving the world from Grima?"

"Yeah, of course I remember that," Lucina stated. She definitely remembered how her brother and Roy would fight over who got to be Hector and who had to be Grima in their games and Lilina would pitch a fit if anyone else tried to be Lyndis, while Lucina, for some reason, was always Eliwood. "But I thought it was just some story you and their parents had made up."

"Nope!" Lyn exclaimed. "And I'll prove it!"

Lyn ran off upstairs, and she soon heard the ladder to the attic creaking down as she rummaged through it. "I am so sorry," Marth suddenly apologized. "I feel as if I am intruding."

"Don't worry about it!" Lucina quickly reassured. "I mean, it's not as if we never have people over."

"Yeah, our cousin Owain used to come over here so much we started to call the couch 'Owain's bedroom'!" Morgan exclaimed.

"Speaking of which, Marth, you still want to stay here tonight, right?" Lucina asked. The prince nodded.

"He can sleep in my room!" Morgan offered.

Lucina shook her head. "Of course not; your room is barely fit for human lifeforms as is. He can have my bed. I'll use Owain's."

A loud clank and a cry of "Ah-ha!" came from the attic, and Lyn quickly came down from it, brandishing a curved blade. "See, proof! This is the Mani Katti; that sword I used back then."

Lucina inspected the blade. It certainly looked like the one Lyn had described. "This definitely looks real," Lucina muttered.

"This is awesome!" Morgan cried. "Why haven't you shown this to us before?"

Lyn let out a loud cackle. "Are you kidding? You kids would have ended up murdering a tree, if not someone's arm!"

Lucina nodded; that probably would have happened. "Alright, I believe you," conceded Lucina.

Punching the air victoriously, Lyn set the sword down. "Great. Now, is your new friend from the dark ages planning to stay the night here?"

"If you would have me, I would be infinitely grateful," Marth politely requested.

"Of course!" Lyn exclaimed. "Not like this isn't the first weekend in three years that one of them hasn't had a friend over."

A sharp knock suddenly came from the door, which Lucina realized hadn't been shut all the way. A young girl with long, red-brown braids wearing a white dress pushed it open. "Um, sorry to intrude, but I hate to keep my father waiting in the car so long. Morgan, I know this is important, but can we go ahead and leave?" requested the girl that Lucina realized must have been Nah.

"How much of that did you hear?" Morgan quickly asked, his face turning as red as Roy's hair.

Nah chuckled lightly. "Pretty much all of it. You have such a cool older sister!" she exclaimed. "And Miss Andronuts is really cool too!"

Morgan looked down. "Yeah, I guess I'm a bit of a disappointment compared to them."

"Of course not!" Nah cried. "You just haven't gotten your hands on a good situation to show off your heroics yet." She suddenly took a deep sniff, and turned her head towards Marth. "Um, you don't happen to know a Manakete, do you? I think I sense traces of dragon on your clothes."

"My dear friend Tiki is a Manakete," Marth explained.

"That's so cool! I know Tiki, and she talks about you all the time! I heard Lucina say your name was Marth, but I didn't know you were that Marth!" the dragon girl exclaimed. "You should go see her, while you're here."

Marth nodded. "Of course," he agreed.

Nah took Morgan's hand and thanked Lyn, dashing outside. Lucina smiled; she knew this girl would make her brother happy.

"So," Lyn began. "If you two are hungry, I can order pizza," she offered.

"Maybe in the morning," Lucina yawned. "Time travel really takes a lot out of you. Marth, if you want anything, I can show you where to get it."

"No thank you," Marth declined. "But thank you so much for your hospitality.

The two Alchemist Knights quickly found their way into bed, and as Lucina laid down on the couch, only one thought managed to form before sleep dragged her under; _"If Nah knows about me, shouldn't my friends know as well?"_

* * *

_**AN- Well, that was the new longest chapter yet. Also, I forgot how much I loved writing the scenes of Lucina's everyday life. These exploits of Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector sound interesting, eh? Well, they'll come up again later. On the other side of things, the next Gaiden chapter will go into Roy and Lucina's childhood friendship, and maybe into their parents' stories a bit. And Pit! Finally, some exposition! Also, so close to twenty-five reviews! I'm anxiously awaiting reaching that number, and just remember, every review you people write makes my day and may just push me to update sooner. **_

_**So, chapterly question! Since no one answered last time, I'll ask again; who is your favorite of the main characters so far? I still like Roy, but like I said, Morgan and Lucina's home friends and family are a blast to write for as well. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	13. Gaiden Inigo- Friendship is Magical Girl

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden _

_Story Two- Inigo- Friendship is Magic(al Girl)_

Inigo was awoken at five in the morning by the instant beeping of his phone. Alright, that was a lie; he had already been up for an hour practicing his dancing, but he wouldn't have admitted that to anyone. Still, he tried his best to act like he had been asleep when he answered.

"What d'you want?" he questioned into the speaker, forcing a yawn out.

"Yeah, it's five in the morning!" Cynthia complained. Inigo was a bit confused; did she think he had called her?

He glanced at the caller ID- it was a group call from Lucina, which would explain Gerome's snarl of "Lucina, I swear, if this isn't a matter of national importance, I will murder you." shortly after.

"Wait, what time is it?" asked the blue-haired girl. After a moment, she laughed awkwardly. "Gosh, sorry. Didn't know it was so early."

"Give me five minutes and I will be at your house with an axe," Gerome hissed.

A small, panicked screech came from the phone, presumably Lucina's end. "No, it's important, promise!" she assured the sullen young man that Inigo was wholly unsure why or how he was friends with. "I- okay, I'm about to say some things that sound really insane, but please, promise me you won't laugh, because I promise it's the truth, as crazy as it sounds."

"Of course I won't laugh!" Cynthia vowed all too eagerly for having been awake for less than five minutes. Inigo had always envied that girl for her easy energy that didn't even need liberal amounts of caffeine to activate.

"Y-yeah, me too," Inigo muttered, trying not to sound awake.

Gerome remained silent, but Lucina proceeded anyways. "Um, alright, last night, or well, Thursday night, I got woken up by a star creature called a Luma that gave me a magic pendant that gave me the power to control time. And yes, I know that sounds impossible, but I'm not making this up. So, it died before it could tell me everything I needed to do and told me to find the other Alchemist Knights- that's what we're called- and gave me the rest of the pendants to help me find them."

"That's so awesome!" exclaimed Cynthia. "You're like a real-life Magical Girl!"

"Lucina, I'm going back to sleep," Gerome declared with a scoff. "Please never wake me up for a silly story again."

Inigo suddenly burst put with a cry of "She's our friend! How could you say something like that!", though he was entirely unsure of whether or not to believe her himself.

After a moment's awkward silence, Lucina sighed. "Please let me continue," she requested. No one objected. "So, I met up with two of the other Alchemist Knights; Roy- you remember him, right? And this boy named Ike Ragnell, does anyone know him? They both go to our school. Well, anyways, we accidentally ended up in the past, and then we accidentally ended up in the future, and we found other Alchemist Knights there. One of them stayed behind, though, but we'll go back for him later, whenever we need to. Sorry, I know this all must sound crazy to you."

Inigo drew a sharp breath. "Yeah, it does. B-but don't worry about it. After all, we're your friends, so we're contractually bound to stand with you no matter what. So, in case you ever need anyone to sweet-talk some lady guards or something-"

Lucina gave a chuckle from the other side of the phone, and Inigo smiled. Yes, he might overdo it with the flirting sometimes, but if he could make just one person (preferably a girl one) smile, it was worth it. He decided then that he did believe Lucina, even though she sounded crazy. After all, how could someone tell a silly lie and then laugh not at his stupidity, but his- wait, that was also sort of stupidity, but either way, she was laughing with him, not at him.

"Lucina, I'm so jealous!" Cynthia cried. "You get to be a real-life hero! Please, if there's anything I can do, I want to help you!"

"Thank you," Lucina beamed. (Or at least Inigo was pretty sure she was.) "I'm so lucky to have such good friends. And no matter what comes of this madness, I know you three will be there to support me."

"Right, Gerome?" Inigo added. The young man in question stayed silent, and Inigo wondered if the flat tone of a hung-up phone had been lost among the madness. "Don't worry, he'll come around."

"Well, I'll let you get back to sleep," Lucina stated as the phone line grew silent, Cynthia leaving afterwards. Inigo smiled as he set his phone down and got back to practicing.

After all, if he ever wanted to be as brave as his friend, he had to try his hardest.

* * *

_**AN- Light hearted, people! I can do it! Anyways, I guess I lied about the next Gaiden chapter. I'll either post Roy's Gaiden next, or after the next regular chapter. **_

_**So, as for the twenty-five reviews contest, a Guest reviewer won it. So, Guest reviewer, since I can't contact you, I'll give you a choice. Either you can ask one question that I'll answer for everyone, or two questions I'll answer in a roundabout way. So, please post your question soon, or I'll give the questions to the reviewer after you. (Sorry, I know I sound rude, but in case you don't come back, I don't want the prize to be lost. I promise, your review means the world to me as much as any other!) And let me just thank everyone who's reading this, especially the reviewers, as I'm proud of how far this story has come.**_

_**Anyways, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	14. Luigi

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twelve- Luigi_

On the street, which bared not even the faintest trace of the battles that took place there the prior evening, the four Alchemist Knights gathered under the morning sun. All but Lucina were still wearing their Alchemist Knight uniforms, making the former feel very guilty she hadn't explained how to deactivate them before. "Sorry, I should have told you last night; you deactivate the cores by saying 'Extinguish'," she apologized.

"You might have told us that beforehand," Prince Marth remarked. "But I suppose it's of no matter now."

"So, Lucina, which core should we try to track down first?" Roy asked.

Lucina cried "Time!" to transform into her Alchemist Knight form and dug a core out of her pocket at random. It was the green one, the one she'd initially thought to be some sort of Plant core, but that was most likely incorrect, given her past luck with them. "This one?" she suggested.

"Alright," Roy agreed. He then turned to Ike. "Hey, are you alright? You look kind of tired."

Lucina's attention shifted to the Knight of Fire, who definitely looked a bit unwell. His eyes were dark and distant, as if he hadn't slept at all between their meetings. "I'm fine," Ike muttered, stifling a yawn. "Totally fine."

"Ike, you need to take this seriously," Lucina huffed. "Those Star Eaters could destroy the world if we don't stop them, and you need to be capable of doing your best, which I don't think will come easily if you're half dead."

"Sorry, my sister was just sick and I wanted to be able to help her if she needed me," Ike defended, his voice lacking its usual fervor. Lucina knew in an instant this was a carefully rehearsed excuse, much like the ones she had given the previous day before deciding it was best if her friends knew of her quest.

Roy shot the blue-haired boy a glare; he could see through the lies as well. However, Marth simply gave a sympathetic smile "I hope she recovers soon," he stated kindly. The pained smile and the distress in Ike's eyes hinted that his insomnia may have had roots in this unrequited love Lucina was becoming increasingly sure he was harboring. Still, there was something else in Ike's eyes, something Lucina couldn't place at all.

"Marth, Pit said to cast Lodestar, didn't he?" Lucina reminded the blue-haired prince as she thrust the green core at him and stepped closer. The other two followed suit.

"Lodestar!" Marth called, holding the green pendant in his hands. Golden light from the Sky core spread out from him like wings and a cutting gale surrounded the four, whisking them off to God-knows-where.

The golden light cleared, revealing what seemed to be a grungy, rather run-down harbor. Marth smiled as his eyes scanned across it. "This place seems much more like home," he mused. A few odd creatures, bearing small, squat brown forms, only feet and rather impressive eyebrows interrupting their mushroom-shaped forms. "Okay, maybe not that much like home," Marth quickly amended.

Lucina glanced around their surroundings and suddenly felt rather uncomfortable in the place, as if it was not somewhere people who tried not to cross the law dwelled. A fog horn blew in the distance, and Lucina glanced at the harbor's murky waters to see a ship docking.

"So, now that we're here, how do we find the Alchemist Knight?" questioned Roy. Marth quickly handed the green core back to her, which was glowing faintly.

"I suppose we should just roam around until it starts glowing brightly," Lucina remarked.

With a quick sweep over the area with his ice blue eyes, Roy quickly shook his head. "There must be a better way," he declared. "I mean, this city is crowded, so even if it does start glowing, there isn't a good way to tell who it's glowing for."

"We shouldn't stay here for longer than we need to," Ike stated suddenly. "This place makes me nervous, like something bad's gonna happen if we don't hurry up and leave."

"I can feel something as well," Marth admitted with a shiver. "This place doesn't seem to be a nice place to linger, and I fear something sinister lurks here."

Despite herself, Lucina felt a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Is it just me or does it feel like these cores are trying to kill us?" she joked. "I mean, considering they made us stick around when Green wanted to kill us and it brought us to this shady place."

With an exasperated chuckle, Roy examined the green core. "Let's think, was there any pattern to us meeting before?"

After a moment of thought, Ike provided an answer. "Well, Marth and Red both saved us while we were getting attacked, and you kind of did," he mused. "But what, then are we supposed to just pick a fight and hope they come to save us?"

"Perhaps we should just let fate guide us?" Marth suggested. Lucina saw Ike wince a bit out of the corner of her eye, but she had no clue why. "You encountered both me and Red by chance, so perhaps that is the best course of action?"

"Perhaps, but I'd like to have an actual plan," Lucina remarked.

Just then, a blue creature that seemed to be wearing a hood and a mask bumped into Lucina. "Pardon me, miss," it called. Lucina quickly realized the green core had been knocked out of her hands, snagged by that creature. Drawing her sword, she rushed towards it.

However, her charge was interrupted by a green burst of flame that knocked the green core out of the thief's grasp. The creature ran quickly from its assailants.

Lucina glanced around to try and find who had helped her, and was quickly tapped on the shoulder. She quickly jumped around, her sword in front of her, blunt-side facing forwards, which quickly hit someone in the nose. The man who had approached her, a man with a green hat and mustache, shrieked in pain.

"I'm so sorry!" Lucina quickly apologized.

The man laughed awkwardly and handed her the core. "This is yours, right?" he asked nervously.

"Thank you," she muttered. "Were you the one that recovered it?"

"It was my brother that saw it," the man admitted sheepishly.

A man that looked rather similar to the other, save for being smaller in stature and wearing red approached them and put his hand on the other's shoulder. "Don't be so modest, Luigi! You were the one that got back her necklace!"

The green man, apparently named Luigi, turned away. "Um, we've got to get going, so have a nice day," he cried awkwardly.

Lucina glanced at the core on a hunch and saw it was glowing no more brightly than before. Shame, she had thought for a moment Luigi must have been the Green Knight. "Wait!" Marth called to the brothers quickly. "Our travelling party ended up here by mistake, so might you tell us where we are?"

"Rougeport," the red man replied. "So be careful."

"That name even sounds evil," Ike remarked.

Something, call it fate or a whim, told Lucina that her encounter with those two had been fated, so she suddenly rushed after them. "Hey!" she called breathlessly. "We don't really know where we are, so maybe you two could show us around or something!"

The red one turned around. "To be honest, we just got here ourselves," he remarked.

"Yeah, we're looking for a friend of ours," Luigi added. "She came here a few weeks ago and we haven't heard from her since, so we're kind of worried."

A sense of dread seemed to settle over the harbor with those words. Roy gave Lucina a sideways glance, as if asking for her permission, and she nodded, unsure of what he was plotting. "Hey, since you helped our friend get that necklace back, maybe we could help you two look for your friend!" he offered.

The brothers exchanged a questioning look. "Sure," the red one agreed. "The more the merrier, right? I'm Mario, by the way."

"I'm Lucina," she introduced. "And these are my friends, Roy," The red-haired boy gave a small wave. "Ike," The Fire user nodded. "And Marth."

"Thank you for your help earlier," the prince stated with gratitude.

"Alright, so where do you think your friend is?" Ike asked.

Mario glanced around. "I don't know. Maybe we could ask around and see if anyone's seen her?"

"That might not be a good idea," Roy warned. "I mean, that one guy just mugged us, so who knows what kind of crooks are around here?"

Luigi flipped out a thick book and flipped through the pages. "It says in here a famous professor of archeology lives here, so maybe we could start there," he suggested.

His brother shrugged. "It's the best idea we've got, so let's go find him."

The newly formed team set off through the stone gate to the town square, and quickly saw a creature that looked to be of the same species as the other brown ones they'd seen earlier, but with a pink body, a tan miner's helmet, and, bizarrely, a blonde ponytail sticking out from it. "She looks nice," Mario remarked. "Maybe she could help us."

She heard Roy sigh and mutter "Didn't I just say-?" under his breath.

* * *

_**AN- Sorry, short one today. But, hey, PAPER MARIO! I mean, it's probably my favorite game series in the history of ever that isn't Pokémon, especially the first two, and it has such awesome characters! Like Goombella! Love her! Hope no one minds I didn't make the Mario Bros say -a after every other word; I figured it would have gotten annoying after a while. Also, Inuyasha Armin Scarlet was the winner of the questions contest due to the guest's forfeit (Sorry, Animal Addict, I can't answer your question, sorry!), so yay for that! Next chapter will probably be Roy's Gaiden, so look forward to that before we get back to PAPER MARIO!**_

_**So, chapterly question time! As opposed to the question last time, who's your least favorite character so far? I really don't like Severa, but she was only in about two sentences, so I guess it's not that big a deal. But don't worry, there will be some not-so-nice characters coming up soon.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	15. Peach

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirteen- Peach_

Mario approached the creature with a calm smile. "Hello," the red man began. "Do you know where Professor Frankly's house is?"

The creature smirked. "Yeah, I'm one of his students; the name's Goombella. What, are you guys wondering about the legendary treasure or something?"

"No, but a friend of ours was," Mario explained. "She came here a few weeks ago, but we haven't heard from her, so we got worried."

Goombella gave a concerned nod. "Sorry. What does she look like, maybe I've seen her."

"Blonde, blue eyes, probably wearing pink. Her name is Peach, does that ring a bell?" Mario asked.

His face fell with Goombella's head-shake (or, at least, what could be called her head if her anatomy was at all comparable with anything Lucina had seen before). "Nope, sorry mister. You say she was looking for the legendary treasure?"

"I- I think," Luigi added shakily. "She might have also said something about ruins."

Goombella's eyes lit up and started almost skipping away. "I know where those are! Follow me!"

"Did we ask to go to the ruins?" Lucina questioned with a sigh.

Mario and his brother were already following Goombella, so Roy's calls of "Wait! Are you sure this is a good idea?" fell on deaf ears, as the Alchemist Knights faced little choice but to follow.

Five minutes later, their odd guide had led them into some underground passage of grey and bone-white brick that was cold and damp, yet oddly well lit. "This is the Rougeport Sewers!" announced Goombella cheerily. "This used to be a whole city, but it sank into the ground and was abandoned. There are still traces of it around, but mostly it's just a really interesting place. See, like over there," she ran over to an iron fence blocking a green pipe and hopped. "This fence is over a thousand years old, but it still stands today! Isn't that amazing?"

"I suppose it is nice to know that not everything will fade with time," Marth remarked with a distant smile.

"Yeah," Ike added uneasily. "I mean, even though whoever made it is gone, they still have an effect on the world."

Lucina chuckled. "It's an iron fence; no need to be so profound."

"These are probably the ruins your friend was talking about, so maybe you could look around and see if there's any sign of her," suggested Goombella.

Mario nodded. "That's a good idea, thank you!"

Goombella smiled and started running around the place. "I'll help too. If I see anything, I'll let you know."

"Let's go this way!" suggested Mario, pointing to the left. Luigi and Goombella followed him at once, while the Alchemist Knights did so begrudgingly.

Though they had no idea where they were going, Mario walked briskly as if he knew exactly where he was going. Luigi could be heard muttering something about slowing down and looking closely, but they didn't stop until they came to a dead end, or rather, a ledge that had about thirty feet of bottomless pit separating it from the other side of the walkway, which seemed to hold an archway leading into darkness.

"Should we turn back?" Luigi asked.

Goombella panted. "In a minute; I'm winded."

Roy suddenly nudged Lucina. "Hey, the green core is shining brighter," he pointed out. Lucina took the pendant out of her pocket and saw that it was glowing nearly as brightly as it had been upon meeting each of the others.

"We must be close to the green one," Lucina muttered. "But down here?"

"Their friend, the green knight; you don't think we could be looking for the same person, do you?" Roy suggested.

"Well, it's not like most of this hasn't been crazy coincidences," Ike butted in. "So, do you think they're across that gap?"

Lucina nodded. "I hate to admit it, but that would almost make sense."

Marth joined in with a comment of "Do we have any powers that could get us across?", which was a valid point.

"I don't know. Considering your power is called 'Sky', maybe you have some flight power?" Lucina proposed.

"Or Roy could use Blizzard to push us across," Ike suggested. No one spoke for a moment, but he took the cue and sighed. "Okay, not that, but maybe he could make a bridge out of ice?"

Roy instinctively clasped his red core in one hand and held the other one out as if to throw something. "That might just work. What would I say, 'Bridge'?"

"Think, what is it we need," Lucina muttered.

"A solid sheet of ice," Roy replied. His core flashed at the word "sheet", and Roy repeated the word louder with a pleased look of surprise on his face. A cold blast of energy shot from his outstretched hand and hit the other side of the chasm, creating a strip of ice that looked fairly stable and extremely easy to fall off of.

Mario and Luigi gaped, while Goombella hopped in joy. "Whoa, that was so cool, er, no pun intended," she gushed. "I've always wondered what was over there, but I could never figure out how to get across!"

She gladly volunteered to be the first across, followed closely by Mario. While Goombella practically skipped across, Mario marched purposefully. When no one else volunteered to follow them, Lucina sighed. Though no one had said it out loud, everyone, and Roy in particular, had been treating her as if she was the leader of the group, so it was her responsibility to take charge. Without a downwards glance, she started across the icy bridge, taking great care to not let the lack of traction trip her up. Of course, it had nearly the opposite effect; once she passed the ice, she almost stumbled on the stone brick due to the jarring change.

She turned back to see Roy had followed her closely, only a few paces behind. The red-haired boy reached out his hand to her to support him as he stepped off the ice. Ike was trying to go across as quickly as possible, but nearly slipped, only being stopped by Marth, who put his hand on the fire user's shoulder to steady him. The significance of the embarrassed flush on Ike's face seemed to be lost to all but Lucina.

Soon only Luigi remained on the other side, who seemed to be trembling. "Bro, we've got to save Peach!" Mario called across the abyss.

"But it's such a long way to drop!" quivered Luigi. His brother sighed and marched back across the icy bridge and grabbed his brother, dragging him across to the other side.

"Don't worry; this happens a lot," Mario explained.

The green brother fumed. "That wasn't nice!"

"Let's go on ahead," Lucina quickly interrupted. "We need to find your friend, right?"

They nodded and the party proceeded through the archway in front of them. The lit area ended and black crept up around them, but Mario threw a red fireball ahead to illuminate the path. No bottomless pits seemed to lay in front of them, at least, but everything else was a mystery. Goombella clicked her headlamp on and looked about the place, casting light on what seemed to be the rubble from some ancient building.

"Wow!" marveled the odd girl. "This is amazing! And to think none of this has been seen in thousands of years. I need to tell the Professor about this; he'd give me an A on the summer project for sure!"

"Surely someone else must have found a way across here before now," Roy countered. "A thousand years is an awful long time for no one to think of a solution."

They kept walking without another word. The brothers cast flames across the stone floor, while Goombella eagerly looked around. Eventually, they arrived at some sort of stone platform, a round one that was elevated slightly. Mario and Goombella stepped up onto it without a second thought, but Luigi hung back. "Hey, doesn't something feel off about this place?" Luigi asked.

"This looks like the pedestal from the myth!" Goombella squealed with delight. "It's said if the eight crystal stars are gathered here, the Thousand-Year Door will open. I've always wanted to see this in person."

Mario continued forward and stepped onto another, much smaller elevated platform, and the area suddenly filled with an eerie blue light. "Hello, Mario," a deep voice roared. "Fancy meeting you here."

Fists clenching, Mario looked up to see a giant beast with a spiked shell dropping down from somewhere, landing on the pedestal with a loud thud that reverberated throughout the large corridor. "Bowser! Should have known it was you! Where's Peach?"

"Wondering that myself," Bowser snarled. "She got away from me, somehow. Wouldn't be the first time, but it never stops being annoying."

"Pardon?" Marth questioned. "There seems to be some information here we do not possess. Pray tell, what history to you with that foul beast?"

Luigi took a deep breath and explained. "Basically, he kidnaps Peach since her father's an important diplomat for the Mushroom Kingdom to work out some sort of ransom deal to give his kingdom, the Koopa Empire more power, and Mario and I end up saving her. Repeat the cycle a few dozen times and you've basically got our lives."

"That seems… exhausting," Marth remarked, seeming as confused by that as he was by the light switches in Lucina's house.

"Look," continued the Koopa King. "If I don't deal with you and your lot it'll be harder to find Peach, so I'm just going to have the Family deal with you."

Before Lucina could question the meaning of his words, several small white propeller-powered vehicles dropped down, each one with a creature that looked rather similar to Bowser, save for coloration at the helm. "Koopalings, get them," ordered Bowser.

Lucina drew her blade. "Freeze!" she called. Everything in the area save for the Alchemist Knights grinded to a halt.

"Flare!" Ike followed, sending flames towards two of the group.

"Blizzard!" cried Roy, hitting a pink "Koopaling" with sunglasses, and another the odd lighting didn't allow Lucina to make out.

Marth rushed across the platform and called "Strike!", thrusting his rapier towards two more of their number. Lucina ran to the two remaining and swung her sword at their vehicles.

When Freeze wore off, all eight of the Koopalings were knocked down, their vehicles tipped over. Bowser sputtered in shock. "Fine, I'll just deal with you myself!" he cried, rushing towards Mario. Luigi quickly sent a volley of green fire towards him, and Mario pulled out a wooden mallet and struck the beast in the stomach. Bowser fell on his back and Mario promptly grabbed him by the tail and threw him off the pedestal, knocking the Koopa King unconscious.

"That was easy," Mario remarked. "But we still don't know where Peach is."

A frightening cackle came from above as a figure floated down. Looking up, Lucina saw a young woman with long hair in flowing robes carrying a staff topped with a blue gem that was filling the room with even more blue light. "Peach? You mean that girl who wandered in here alone?" the woman gave a flick of her hand that formed a blue portal like the one used by the dragon Pit had felled. A girl with blonde hair and a pink dress fell out of the portal and stood up sleepily.

Mario rushed to his lost friend and was quickly hit by the girl with a frying pan. "Lady Circe, was he the enemy you told me to take out?" asked Peach in a listless, robotic voice. She opened her eyes to reveal a blank stare that seemed to not be seeing anything.

The woman, apparently called Circe descended, and Lucina could see her more clearly. Her hair seemed to be green, and her face was covered by a mask that was pointed like a bird's beak. "Yes, it is quite fun to make the Alchemist Knights see pain delivered by an ally."

Lucina glanced at the green core, which was glowing wildly, the room filling with white and green light. Peach must be its bearer, but how could they break her out of Circe's spell? "You know us?" Roy questioned.

"Yes. I am Circe, one of the six Celestial Guardians and a leader of the Star Eaters. Surely you've encountered us before," the woman explained.

"I don't think so," Ike admitted. "We've fought Star Eaters before, but not you."

Circe giggled madly. "Lovely! Taking you pains out before you meet us again will be a great help! Peach, target the indigo one; she's the weakest."

Rage filled Lucina's blood as she called "Freeze!", which was dispelled by Circe with a lazy wave of her hand.

Peach started to charge for her, but Luigi jumped in front of her and knocked her with the hammer Mario had used against Bowser. The girl fell to the ground and a dark cloud manifested over her. Circe chuckled. "Well, aren't you bold? You seem like you'd make a good fighter. All that resentment, all that fear; I can see it, you know."

With a wave of her staff, Luigi was engulfed with a dark energy. Lucina attempted to reach out for the green man, but Roy pulled her back. A white flash made the area blindingly bright, and when it cleared, no sign of Luigi or Circe remained, save for the hammer the former had brandished. Peach was still collapsed on the floor, but Mario came to quickly and glanced around hastily. "Luigi! Luigi! Where'd you go!"

"He was taken by that woman," Lucina explained. "I'm sorry, there wasn't anything we could do."

With an anguished sigh, Mario took his hat off and placed it over his heart. "Peach is okay, but I'd better get her back somewhere safe before Bowser comes to. I don't know where Goombella went, but tell her thank you for her help if you see her. Goodbye, Lucina."

The red man picked up Peach and started back, but Roy quickly called out to them. "Wait! We needed to talk to Peach!"

"Whatever it was, it can wait until she's recovered," countered Mario.

The four Alchemist Knights were soon alone in the room. "I hope he'll be alright," Roy lamented. "I feel bad we couldn't save him."

"Whenever we see Circe again, we'll make sure she won't get away until she tells us where Luigi is and gets him back safe," Ike stated. "But for now, we should pull back. She seems strong, and if we're not prepared when we see her next, we'll be in for it."

"Of course," Marth agreed. "But perhaps our best plan of attack is amassing numbers. If we must, we'll go back for Red, and we should find the rest of them as well."

"Let's warp back to our time for now," Lucina ordered. The other three stepped closer to her as she called "Warp Home!" and a flash of white whisked them away.

* * *

_**AN- Well, exciting chapter. I was thinking I'd have to split this one up into two or more, but I figured I could just get it done in one, so you guys get a super-sized one. I know this isn't the Gaiden Chapter I promised, but that'll be up eventually. Possibly after the next arc; I changed my mind about the ordering. But hey, the next Gaiden's an important one, 'cause it'll explain some important things about one of the characters that won't be mentioned in the main story for a while. It'll star a certain green-haired Fire Emblem character from Path of Radiance/ Radiant Dawn that is quite frequently shipped with Ike, which narrows it down to two of them. (The Gaiden also may have shipping in it, but it's far from fluffy.)**_

_**Speaking of characters, we finally have legit villains! The Celestial Guardians are pretty cool, if I do say so myself, and you'll be happy to know that they aren't OCs. Even Circe is based off of a canon Nintendo character, but I added Cia's mask from Hyrule Warriors to make the design a bit more distinct. Also, I was tempted to have Roy suggest "Icemake Bridge" as a possible way to get over the chasm, but I refrained. And no, Peach is not a Princess in this; I figured one royal protagonist was enough. **_

_**So, chapterly question! Which Nintendo villains do you want to see pop up in this story? I've already planned out the Celestial Guardians, but side villains like Bowser and the Koopalings will still pop up from time to time.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	16. Gaiden Soren- Hope and the Wind

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Three- Soren- Hope and the Wind_

Soren's attempts to fall asleep were halted by a ringing of his phone. He sighed- he had been so close to conquering this bout of insomnia. He knew who it was without even glancing at the screen; only one person in the entire world would feel comfortable calling him at such an hour. "Ike, it is two in the morning, what could possibly be important enough that it could not wait until morning?" he questioned into the receiver.

"Oh, it is? I'm sorry, I didn't know it was so late," his friend apologized profusely.

This struck Soren as odd. He'd never known Ike to willingly stay up past eleven, and certainly not without noticing it was late. "So, what is it?" Soren repeated. "Something urgent, I presume."

"Uh, it's a long story," a nervous, uncertain voice laughed. Nerves and uncertainty were nothing he knew Ike to show in such great amounts, so something must have been wrong. "Just promise not to hang up or laugh, even if you think I'm joking, because I'm telling the truth, I swear."

"What sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into!" Soren demanded, worry starting to claw at his mind.

A small gap of silence made the air feel like lead and Soren's stomach and chest fill with it. "Well, this girl, Lucina, she gave me this magical pendant thing and told me and this other boy, Roy, that we needed to help her save the world from monsters or something."

Soren began to ask the boy if he'd been hit in the head, but Ike quickly followed up with "Please, I know it sounds insane, but just believe me, alright?"

"Alright," Soren conceded, pushing logical doubts aside for his friend. "Go on."

"And then we fought off this giant monster with the powers those pendants gave us. It was kind of cool, I mean, I have some pretty cool fire magic, and Lucina can freeze time, but it also gave us these weird costumes, and capes, for some reason. I don't know why."

Soren gave a snort of laughter. "Of course, the world's falling to madness and all you question is the capes. Y'know, I think I do believe you; it's so nonsensical that I don't think you could have made it up."

His friend gave a sigh of relief. "Good. So, I really need your help with something."

"I don't think I could help you save the world. It flatters me you would offer, but my wind magic is hardly powerful enough to move a stone. It could hardly fell beasts."

"That's not what I meant," Ike clarified. "Actually, I'm not even sure I'm supposed to tell you about this, but you're the only one who can help me with this. You see, I think-"

Soren, with the precognitive grace that came with friendship, knew what Ike was about to say next. "What's his name?" Soren asked.

"Marth, but that's not the point," Ike replied. "I mentioned Lucina had time-travel powers, didn't I?"

"Yes. Go on," Soren stated, now completely unsure of where this conversation was going.

"Well, we picked up another partner, Marth, in the past. And by past I mean a thousand years ago."

Soren felt something pulling his lips upwards, a rare occurrence. "A boyfriend from the dark ages; I suppose you always have had odd tastes."

Ike let a cry of frustration ring from the other end of the phone. "That's not the point! The point is that when we when we turned in for the night, I looked him up on the internet so I could know for sure if I was completely hopeless!"

"And-?"

"I messed up, big time," Ike muttered gravely. "He- he's going to die. In battle. Among thousands. At age eighteen. After marrying some girl named Cadea."

Soren felt a pang in his heart. Ike's anguish was painful, most of all when he had no clue of how to mend it. "And how did you learn this so quickly?" Soren asked offhandedly, in an attempt to find something to say.

"He's the prince of Altea right before the Second Seal War, and that's kind of a big deal," Ike explained. "I mean, from what I know of him, he'd surely be glad to die protecting his kingdom, but you know what the worst part is?"

Soren allowed silence to answer for him. Ike continued with a heavy sigh. "He barely ends up being even a footnote in history. I mean, he allowed Altea to pass into the hands of Talis or something, but since some man named Kris ends up remarrying Cadea, really, Marth's death just ended up as a small piece of what brought peace after the war. Sorry, I'm still not sure what all of this means."

"Isn't there anything you can do? I mean, how old is he now?" Soren grasped, still wholly unsure as to what this all meant, except that it was paining his dearest friend.

"About the same age as us, so I suppose he has a year or less," Ike sighed. A short burst of silence preceded Ike's desperate question. "Soren, do you think time can be rewritten?"

He honestly had no idea how to answer that. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "But, since you have time travel, isn't it your job to find out?"

Though it was impossible to truly tell, Soren could almost see the slight smile, the little glimmer of hope that now lit Ike's face. "You're right," he exclaimed. The brightness faded away after a moment as he asked, for once in his life, a logical question. "But couldn't paradoxes start ripping the world apart or something?"

Yes, Ike had a point. Soren thought that was unusually wise of him, but he knew he couldn't let logic take away his smile. "You seem to really care about him. Isn't it worth a bit of risk if it means saving someone you love?"

"I'm not sure I love him, at least not yet," Ike clarified. "But yeah, I don't think I could just stand back and let him die."

"Right. I wish you luck."

"Wait, isn't this usually the other way around?" Ike remarked. "I mean, I'm the one being reckless and you're the one trying to talk me out of it with logic."

"Yes, I suppose it's a bit ironic," Soren mused. "But if given a choice between reason and hope, hope should always be chosen."

"That's awfully cheerful for you," Ike commented with a chuckle.

"Well, you are being unusually dour. Besides, you're the one who always says that," Soren countered.

Ike gave an awkward laugh, the one people used to fill space when they weren't sure what noise should go there. "I have never said that."

"Well, I paraphrased, but it's the basic principle, at least."

Silence filled the next lapse in the conversation. "Thank you. Now try to get some rest; it'd be nice to know at lease one of us has."

Another smile tugged at Soren's mouth. "Gladly. And if you ever need my help while you're saving the universe, never hesitate to call me."

"Good night."

The phone went silent, and Soren laid it back on the table beside his bed. He fell back on the pillows, trying not to think of Ike and this prince he was willing to break the world apart for. What he wouldn't have given to be in Marth's place at that moment, but he knew his chance with Ike had come and gone. And though it felt like an eternity ago when the blue-haired boy had held him in his arms, it still stung to think it was over and was now even surer never to return.

* * *

_**AN- Please forgive me for the extra-strength depressing-ness of this. It had to be done. But gosh, do I love this chapter. The mix of "Aww" and "Why, Twilight Joltik, why do you hate happiness?" is perfect. And no, I don't hate happiness. Marth and Ike are actually two of my favorite characters, but I heard somewhere that authors tend to make their favorites suffer the most. I guess I just want to see them be awesome in the face of adversity, or give them the best plotlines or something. This took place between Chapter Eleven and Gaiden Two, _**so now you know what Ike's deal in the last few chapters was. So, thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik**_**_


	17. Ness

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fourteen- Ness_

The sun shone high in the sky as they arrived back in front of Lucina's house. "We should go get Red," Lucina ordered as the white light of her Warp power dispersed.

She fumbled for the pomegranate-colored core, but she felt a hand on her shoulder telling her to stop. "No, we need to find the rest of them before the Star Eaters do. Red should be safe," Ike advised.

Unsurprisingly, Roy came to her defense at once. "We have time travel, so we don't need to worry about outrunning them, right?"

"It is likely they possess that power as well," Marth countered. "Circe spoke of us as if she had met us before, so perhaps she met us in our own future, but her past."

Stunned, Lucina nodded. "That… makes sense. Makes my head hurt too, but you're probably right."

"Please ready another core so we can depart at once," Marth requested, holding out his hands with a small smile.

Lucina pulled out the bright yellow core and handed it to the prince, who cried "Lodestar!" and enveloped the Alchemist Knights in a golden light that seemed to fly through whatever ages and space separated them from their destination.

As the world came back into focus, Lucina let out a small gasp. Wherever they were didn't resemble some ancient city or spire-filled metropolis, but rather the place they had just left.

"Well, it's nice not to be spirited away to the dark ages for a change," Ike remarked jokingly. "But it's actually kind of weird how much this looks like home."

With a quick sweep of the area, a chill passed down Lucina's spine. This area looked like somewhere she'd passed en route to the supermarket almost every day since she was small, but just a bit different. A few shops had different signs, and the air felt different somehow. A car whizzed by, sending a slight breeze over the sidewalk they were standing on, but even it looked out of place, as it looked rather old fashioned.

"This can't be that far into the past," Roy concluded. "Maybe twenty years ago?"

Yes, this must be the past of Lucina's own world. Something about that unnerved her, perhaps the idea that there was no possible way she should be here. She wouldn't be born for another three or so years, so this world was nothing she should ever be able to see. "Let's hurry up and find the next Alchemist Knight," Lucina directed, snatching the yellow pendant from a slightly sad looking Marth.

"You alright?" Ike quickly asked the prince, odd concern filling his voice.

"Yes, it is just odd to think I am the only one here who doesn't feel anything from this place besides the chill of the wind," Marth replied. "Never mind that, though. We must find the Alchemist Knight."

A glance at the core showed a harsh yellow glow that almost made her eyes hurt, even in the sunlight. "Must be nearby," Lucina muttered, setting down the sidewalk, her partners following her.

An impact knocked Lucina back, stumbling into Roy. Looking up, she saw she'd run into a boy wearing a sideways baseball cap over his black hair. "Excuse me," he muttered. The glow from the core was blinding now, and it caught the boy's attention. "Whoa, what's that?" he questioned, focusing his gaze on the pendant in her hand.

"Would you mind holding this for a minute?" Lucina requested, thrusting the yellow core at the boy. A white symbol, a circle with two short lines coming from opposite sides of it shone behind the yellow glass, her suspicions confirmed.

"Oh, I get it," the boy exclaimed. "This thing has magic powers, doesn't it?"

None of the Alchemist Knights had a valid response to that. "That was quick," Ike finally remarked.

The boy shrugged. "Nowadays, I'll take whatever explanation I've got. Ever since all those people started disappearing, nothing's been right."

"People have been disappearing?" Lucina repeated.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, but you came to help save them, right?"

Lucina began to say that they had only come here to recruit him, but Roy burst in with an "Of course! We came here to stop any more people from vanishing and save the ones who have, but we can't do it alone. That pendant, if you activate it, you'll have great powers that you can use to help us save those people."

"Y-yes!" Lucina sputtered. "That's right! We're here to help save them, so just put that on and cry out- er…"

With a quick glance at the shining symbol, Ike suggested "Electricity?"

"Yes, Electricity!" Lucina affirmed.

The boy looked at them oddly before draping the silver cord around his neck and crying "Electricity!", causing the pendant to flash and engulf him in a white light. Upon clearing, Lucina saw his attire hadn't gone through nearly as drastic a change as the other Alchemist Knights. He was simply wearing a different shirt, one with blue and yellow stripes, but everything else remained the same.

"What, no cape?" Ike joked under his breath. Lucina let out a sigh of relief. If that activation word hadn't worked the first time, it would have made that boy doubt their intentions.

The boy looked at the core on his neck and smiled. "Why me?" he asked. "Is this because you knew that Paula was one of the ones who disappeared?"

"No, it was completely by chance," Marth admitted. "I apologize for that bluff, but we truly would be happy to help you save your friend." Lucina could feel Roy's irritation towards him for putting a wrench in his scheme flowing off of him like waves, but was grateful that he'd spoken up; she'd started to feel guilty about lying to the boy.

"Okay, thanks, I guess," the boy replied uneasily. "My name's Ness, by the way."

"I'm Lucina, the red haired one is Roy, the one with dark blue hair is Ike, and Marth's apparently the only half-decent person among us," Lucina quickly introduced. "Now, do you have any idea what happened to these people who disappeared?"

Ness glanced off in the distance, towards where in Lucina's time a strip mall was situated. "Paula ran off towards the warehouse over there while I was talking to her, but she didn't say why. I tried to run after her, but I lost track of her. That's all I really know."

"Had she been acting at all strangely before that happened?" Roy asked.

"I don't think so," Ness responded after a moment's thought. "And no, I don't think there's anything connecting the people that went missing. I've tried to find a link, trust me."

"Why don't we go over to that warehouse," Ike suggested. "We might find something."

Ness nodded and started walking towards there, the rest of the Alchemist Knights following. "So, why are you here if it isn't to save those people?" Ness questioned.

"We were given those pendant things to help save the world from a group called the Star Eaters, and we came here looking for one of the Alchemist Knights who could use it," Lucina explained, trying to say it as fast as she could without confusing him.

"Cool! Do you think maybe the Star Eaters are why all those people went missing?" Ness suggested.

That was a likely idea. After all, Circe had targeted Peach, so it was likely that other Alchemist Knights would be targeted. "Possibly," Lucina muttered.

Ness showered them with questions the entire way to the warehouse, which started to get annoying rather quickly. Luckily, it was a mercifully short walk with the route Ness took, which she was fairly certain wasn't entirely legal.

Upon arriving at the warehouse, Lucina started to feel something more than the uncanny valley uncomforted she felt from the location, as if something more sinister lurked there. The whole place seemed as if it hadn't seen usage in decades, and frankly, it seemed to be a miracle it still stood. Greenery encroached upon the area so heavily that in some spots the pale walls had been overtaken by deep green ivy. If it had still been around in her day, she was sure that Morgan and his friends would have dared each other to approach the place at night, given the eeriness of it.

"This is the place," Ness stated. "We should go in, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Ike agreed. "But it might be dangerous, so Marth, you and Ness should stay out here."

Marth looked irked by his order. "Do you think me incapable of danger," he asked with a glare.

Ike turned bright red and broke eye contact with the prince at once. "No! Of course not," he assured. "I just thought some of us should stay outside in case of, er, ambushes!"

"Perhaps, but considering Lucina is our leader, I believe her safety is the priority here," Marth countered. "Why would you prioritize my safety over the leader's?"

"Why am I the leader?" Lucina interjected, hoping to pull Ike out of an awkward conversation. "Is it just because I was the first Alchemist Knight?"

"It's because you usually know what you're doing," Roy explained. "Or, well, at least more of an idea than the rest of us."

Lucina sighed. Sometimes she wondered if Roy really had gotten over that crush he used to have on her. "I doubt that, but I'll still stay outside to guard. Roy, you stay with me. Ness, Ike, Marth, if anything happens scream for help, okay?" she ordered. The other three headed towards the rusted door of the building, and Lucina cast an anxious glance around the area.

Something moved through the bushes, and Lucina jumped. It seemed to be a few people, possibly investigating the area like them. Straining her eyes, she saw a young woman in a yellow dress with blonde pigtails barely obscured by the foliage. "She looks like your aunt, doesn't she?" remarked Roy.

Yes, Lucina supposed she did. Looking closer, Lucina started to see more similarities than she'd thought, down to the point where it was almost certainly a younger version of Lissa Luna, or rather at this time, Lissa Ylisse. Against her better judgement, Lucina moved in closer to try to steal a glimpse at the others with her. She could hear Roy calling her back, but her curiosity overcame her completely and her body moved on autopilot.

Before long, she was spotted, and a small scream came from Lissa. "Calm down, it's just a girl," a painfully familiar voice Lucina hadn't heard in years assured. In the shade, Lucina could make out the navy hair and eyes she'd inherited and felt tears pulling at her eyes. "Hey, are you alright?" her father asked her.

* * *

_**AN- Well, this is a bizarre mash-up. And trust me, it will only get more bizarre from here. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated; my life has been consumed by Smash Four. But in other news, the next several chapters should be exciting, and I'll finally get Roy's Gaiden, along with Lucina's up at some point. **_

_**So, chapterly question! If you've gotten a chance to play Smash Four, what characters are your favorite so far? And if not, who do you think looks fun? I really like Robin, personally, but Ike's been my main since Brawl and I don't think that'll change any time soon. Plus Lucina and Dark Pit are cool, and of course Jigglypuff is amazing as always. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	18. Dissonance

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifteen- Dissonance_

As Lucina started to move towards the group hidden in the bushes as if she was in a daze, Roy knew at once he was bearing witness to her downfall. It was perfectly reasonable for her to wish to see her parents, sure, but it could potentially cause paradoxes or do something bad. They hadn't been given any guidelines for the safe use of time travel, so none of them could be sure whether interaction with your own past would be fine or result in the implosion of time and space. When they were younger, Lucina had always warned Roy and her younger brother that reckless behavior never led to anything good, a lesson he unfortunately had to learn the hard way to get it to stick, so it unnerved him to see the very person that had warned him of that doing the very thing which she had warned against. Therefore, the task of reasoning with a girl with her impossible dreams laying in front of her, unfortunately, was delegated to Roy.

Quickly, he ran up to the stunned Lucina and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we shouldn't be bothering them," Roy quickly exclaimed. "Sorry for our rudeness, we really need to be going."

Roy was met with a sharp strike to his shin. "We're fine," Lucina practically snarled, tears still staining her eyes. "I just thought they might be able to help us."

"We don't mind, really!" cried a young woman with white pigtails resting on her shoulders, who looked remarkably similar to Morgan. "We're just trying to get in that building so we can find out what happened to some friends of ours. I'm Robin, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

Robin held out her hand to her future daughter, which Lucina took, choking back tears. "I-I'm," Lucina started to stutter out.

"Marth!" Roy finished, blurting out the first name that popped into his head as a cover. "And my name's Leaf!" He genuinely had no clue why the name of that girl that had assisted them while recruiting Red was the one to stick in his mind, but it was what came out, so it would be what would stick.

"Those are strange names. Are they foreign?" questioned a young man that bore a striking resemblance to Lucina, sharing her dark blue hair and eyes. Well, there went any chance of keeping Lucina away from her parents. From the tears streaming down her face, he should have known.

Lucina looked at Roy with complete confusion, and Roy tried to wordlessly tell her to leave the talking to him, but all he managed to come up with was pointing at his mouth and shaking his head. "No, we just have odd names. A friend of ours went missing just a little while ago. That's why L- Marth is upset, so don't worry about her. She just gets, er, emotional."

If it hadn't been for the swift interruption of a rather formally dressed man with brown hair, Roy was certain that Lucina would have ran her blade through his stomach in an instant. "My apologies, milady. Two of lady Lissa and lord Chrom's dear friends vanished as well. Perhaps we can work together to recover our lost comrades," offered the man, likely Frederick Luna, father of Lucina's cousin Owain judging by his overbearing politeness.

As desperately as he wanted to push them away to stop Lucina from messing up, she gave a cry of "Yes, please!" before he could refuse.

"Then it's settled," Robin declared. "Let's find a way in and go save Maribelle and Ricken! Well, and Marth's friend."

As the four people Lucina so desperately wanted to talk to marched off in search of an entrance, Lucina grabbed Roy by his cape and glared at him, malice and tears equally filling her gaze. "Why would you do something like that?" she demanded. "I just wanted to get the chance to know my mother and father. Why do you have to try to push them away?"

"I'm trying to protect you," Roy explained as calmly as he could. "We don't know what might happen if we cross our own timeline, and I don't want you to accidentally end up ripping the world in two."

"Aren't you the one who's always going off about how I always know what I'm doing?" Lucina countered with a snarl. "Why is it that the one time your faith wavers is when it matters most that you trust me?"

With a deep exhale, Roy tried to put his hand on Lucina's shoulder, but she darted away, drawing her blade. "I do trust you, I just know it must be hard to resist something like that."

"Don't try to sugarcoat it!" Lucina screamed. "You think I'm being stupid. You must or you wouldn't have made me look like some pathetic scared little girl in front of my parents and lied to them!"

This was getting frustrating, and Roy was tempted to explode and tell his friend how childish she was being. He tried to maintain composure, but that was increasingly harder with every passing syllable coming out of her mouth, considering she was screaming enraged accusations at him. "Lucina, I didn't mean to, I promise!" he assured her in vain.

"You keep saying I'm perfectly capable of handling this, but I remember what you said back at Silph. You think you'd be a better leader of this, don't you?"

He vaguely remembered saying something like that to Ike, but it was probably just out of irritation. "I meant I'd be a better leader than Ike, not you," he corrected desperately. "You're doing fine."

"Don't go blaming it on other people, you little know-it-all!" Lucina exclaimed.

Her words felt like bullets in his heart, and he found his composure had all but vanished. "I'm only a know-it-all because I actually know things!"

It turned into a rather painful shouting match, with Roy feeling a slicing blow with every insult only to spit something horrible out he knew he'd regret it whenever he came to his senses.

"Hardly, Ike and Marth have each helped twice as much as you!"

"Really? All it looks like they're doing to me is getting confused, like you!"

"I'm getting confused? Who asks me what to do every two seconds?"

"I was clearly wrong when I said you were smart, because you're acting so childish right now it hurts my head!"

"I was clearly wrong when I said you were nice to have around! All you've done so far is ruin my one chance to get closer to my parents, insufferable idiot!"

"Oh, I'm the idiot? The only idiotic thing I've done was have a crush on you!"

"That's not the only stupid thing you've ever done, but it ranks up with the worst of them."

"You've done much worse. For instance, you keep rushing into situations without even considering they could be traps."

"And where has it gotten us so far? Seven Alchemist Knights out of twelve and you call that stupidity?"

"You got that Luma and Luigi killed, and if Leaf hadn't stopped him, Green would have killed us all!"

"I think I know why Leaf likes you so much. After spending so much time around Green, she must have developed a taste for arrogant snotheads!"

"I'll never know why Rosalina gave such great power to such an immature idealist!"

"I know exactly why you got the Ice core, it's just like your heart!"

"If it wasn't for these stupid cores, I'd never speak to you again, you naïve fool!"

"That makes two of us, cold-hearted jerk!"

They were interrupted by a call from Robin. "Hey, we found a way in!" she announced. "Well, if you two are still up for coming."

Lucina let go of Roy's cape and eagerly ran off after her mother. "Of course!" she exclaimed with an embarrassed flush.

After she'd said all those horrible things, Roy couldn't think of Lucina as anything more than a naïve girl who wouldn't consider any consequences and was too hopeful for her own good. Something else told him this wasn't true, but he told that part of his brain to shut up for the time being. He wanted his blood to keep boiling, considering she'd been so awful. Okay, he'd been awful too, but she was the one that struck first. Still, he ran off after her to try to prevent her from doing anything else stupid.

They arrived to a gaping hole that seemed to be either burned or shot into the side of the building. "Someone else must have gotten here first," deducted Chrom.

"And recently too," Robin added. "The metal still looks pretty soft."

"Must have been the others," Lucina thought out loud.

He couldn't take it any more. "I'm waiting outside," Roy declared. "So go ahead and be stupid, I won't stop you."

He marched off, fuming. Hopefully Lucina would be ready to apologize by the time she'd finished in there, and he'd be ready to accept her apology. He vaguely heard Lissa ask Lucina what had happened between them, but he didn't care enough to hear the reply. He simply found a relatively clean place to sit down, on the broken bits of concrete that had once been a path to the warehouse. Looking down, Lucina's words echoed in his head. Had she really known about that crush he used to have on her? She hadn't acted surprised when he'd mentioned it. And what had she meant about Leaf liking him?

His thoughts were interrupted by a crackling beside him. Roy looked up to see a cloaked figure looming over him, holding a lightning bolt shaped sword in one hand and a thick book with a yellow cover in the other. "Knight of Ice, I see you and that girl had a falling out. You seemed to care an awful lot what she thought of you. Would I be wrong to say she was your friend?" inquired a vaguely familiar male voice.

Roy felt uneasy. Who was this man and how did he know him? "I guess," Roy answered. "Who are you, anyways?"

The man sat down beside him. A hood still covered his face, but from this angle, Roy could see a pointed mask not unlike the one Lucina sometimes wore in Alchemist Knight form also veiled it. "That is irrelevant. A better question would be to ask how I knew of your abilities, or why I would care about your falling out with that girl."

"Okay, then. How do you know about my powers and why do you care that I was fighting with Lucina?" Roy asked, the unease in the air growing sharper.

"I have been watching you four Knights, as you perplex me greatly," admitted the man. "The Knight of Sky and the Knight of Time, though, they're the most enigmatic of all. Therefore, any dissonance among your ranks is something I must take note of. My question for you is this: why do you not fear me?"

"Should I?" asked Roy, placing a hand on his sheathed blade.

The man stood up once more. "I am Grima, one of the six Celestial Guardians. So yes, you should fear me, considering you do not have anyone I care about keeping whole with you to prevent my attack."

Grima, he knew that name. Wasn't that the evil villain from that story he'd heard countless times in his youth? Roy got to his feet and attempted to cast Blizzard, but felt a bolt of lightning running through him before he could get the word out. The world faded to black, and the last thing he heard over the deafening pain was Grima's voice. It asked "Tell me, Knight of Ice, why is it that you and your allies interest me?"

* * *

_**AN- Well, we haven't gotten a different POV for a while. Nice change of pace. I'm not sure what you people will hate more, the fact that I ended on a cliffhanger or the fact that Lucina and Roy were so awful to each other in this chapter. Well, maybe I'll make you people suffer more by making Roy's Gaiden next so you won't get to find out what happened to Roy or how both female Robin and male Grima could be there. Well, one of those things you won't get the answer to for a long, long time, and the other one probably won't come as quick as you'd like either. Also, to Animal Addict who asked if Robin, Lissa, and Chrom would be in this, here's your answer.**_

_**So, chapterly question! Do you side more with Lucina or Roy in their argument? I think they both have valid points, but I also don't think anyone would have sided with Roy if they hadn't been seeing this from his perspective, as Lucina's intentions are a bit more easily understandable. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	19. Gaiden Roy- Nightmare

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Four- Roy- Nightmare_

_Roy had known Lucina for longer than he could remember. He'd known the two for as long as he'd been motherless, he supposed, as he couldn't remember knowing his mother or not knowing Lucina and Morgan. She was only two years older than him, but for so long, that had felt like a great distance. She'd seemed so mature, so clever, so brave, and that was why he looked up to her._

_He remembered so many times when they'd play a game with Lilina, one where they'd act out that story they'd all grown up hearing. It was the only bedtime story he recalled, and he knew it by heart now. If he felt like it, he could easily spout it out word-for-word …_

"Oh, could you now," touted a voice that seemed to emanate from the edges of his mind. It seemed familiar, but Roy couldn't place why. "I would love to hear it."

_Roy suddenly realized that he wasn't quite daydreaming or sleeping, but more floating about in a hazy void. He barely knew why he was there, but he had a feeling it had to do with the voice. He wondered if telling that story might help him get out of that place._

"Doubtful," the voice replied. "But it will help you not lose your mind if you hold onto something you can concentrate on."

_What good would telling him that do, Roy wondered._

A laugh came from that voice. "I told you, you interest me. You'd probably be more use to me alive than dead, so hold on if you can."

_He was told-? It flooded back to him. The warehouse. The cores. He was the Alchemist Knight of Ice, right? And Lucina, oh God, Lucina. He'd said some horrible things. If he didn't hold on, he wouldn't be able to apologize, so he concentrated on that memory, the story he knew so well. _

_Once, a very long time ago, there was a horrible man named Grima that decided to attack the city of Iris. Happiness was the food he preyed on, and the more he consumed, the stronger he'd become, so he kidnapped many people of the city and gobbled up their happiness._

"Gobbled up their happiness, I did no such thing!" the voice exclaimed in outrage.

_The man that had attacked him had called himself Grima, hadn't he? And he wore a cloak like his father had described. Was it possible they were the same, and the story he'd grown up listening to was more than just a fairy tale? Well, nothing made much sense lately, did it?_

_Grima attacked a lot of people and grew more powerful and hungry with every bite, but he became careless. He kidnapped a lovely woman named Ninian, who was to be married to the brave hero Eliwood in a few days' time. In an instant, Eliwood ran to the fortress where it was said Grima was keeping his victims, but he knew not even he could face the great evil alone._

_He gathered his two best friends, the gallant knight Hector, who with his mighty axe could slay a thousand monsters in one swing…_

"That seems a bit farfetched, doesn't it?" Grima interrupted. "Sorry, go on."

_Well, perhaps his father had embellished the details a bit, but that wasn't important right now. _

_Eliwood also called upon the valiant Lyndis, who with her legendary blade could slice through anything. The three went to Grima's fortress…_

"I have a fortress in this story?" Grima asked in delight. "That would be lovely. I should tell Cobalt to find me one. She's always had a way with words, that one."

_Roy went on, trying to ignore his foe. _

_They stormed Grima's fortress and found the people who's happiness he'd been feeding off of imprisoned there, save for Ninian, who had used her wits to break free and attempt to free the others. Grima found them and was annoyed by the siege of his stronghold. He resolved to crush the intruders, and sent a lightning spell at them. _

_Dodging just in time, Eliwood and his force attacked Grima, engaging in battle with the fiend. They fought on for quite some time, countering every blow with one of their own, and at long last it seemed like they'd defeated him, but suddenly he turned into a giant monster, using all the power he'd sapped from the other people. _

_The four heroes were nearly bested, but suddenly, Grima started to slow. He'd used too much of his own power, and he was getting weaker. With a great charge from his sword, Eliwood felled the beast, and the happiness stolen from the people was returned back to them. Eliwood and Ninian married a few days later, and everyone lived happily ever after._

"Lovely story," Grima remarked. "The ending was sad, but it was still good. I can see why you wouldn't believe the story, though. Your father embellished quite a lot."

_Roy half wanted to run his sword through Grima, but that still wouldn't explain why he cared so much. Instead, he wondered if that meant the Alchemist Knights should back away from the problem, as if they stopped it before his father, that would surely cause some time paradoxes._

"Please don't go yet," Grima begged. "I want to understand what makes you Knights tick. If I can capture the Knight of Sky and have a peek inside his head, I should understand why he confuses me. Would you mind helping me with that?"

"_No! Absolutely not!" Roy tried to shout in protest. "I'm not helping a monster attack my friends!"_

Darkness crept up around him and he felt his mind slipping. "I have no intention to harm Marth," Grima softly stated. "Or the knights of Time or Fire. Please, just help me learn more about them."

_He struggled to keep a hold on his mind. Focus on something, anything, he begged himself. He grasped at anything that came to mind. His name was Roy Pherae. His father was Eliwood, his mother was Ninian. His favorite color was purple. His best friends were Wolt and Lilina, and Lucina and Morgan were dear friends as well. He fought alongside Lucina, Ike and Marth as the Knight of Ice. _

"Knight of Ice," Grima repeated. "I have no desire to harm you, Roy, not right now. Let us work together, shall we?"

_Blackness struck Roy like an arrow. He lost consciousness and Grima's unnerving chuckle filled his deadened mind. _

* * *

_**AN- This Gaiden was supposed to be fluff about Roy and Lucina as kids, I swear. It just got away from me. I guess this is a compromise between making you wait for info on Roy's fate (he's not dead!) and me getting this Gaiden out finally. Grima's a cool villain, isn't he? He gets better, just you wait. So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	20. Robin

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Sixteen- Robin_

On that day, Lucina had never been less sure of what was going on or how she felt about it. Yes, her parents were there, and she was finally getting a chance to speak to them after fourteen years of hiding her tears from Morgan and Lyn, but other than that, it seemed everything possible had gone wrong. Fight with one of your best friends which was completely your fault? Check. In the middle of a mystery involving multiple disappearances? Check. Have no clue what needs to be done even though the universe itself was at stake? That one deserved some sort of special check, perhaps with a special pen or something. Also, she was partially responsible for the kidnapping of a man that had helped her, unsure of exactly how much she could interact with her parents without causing some massive paradoxes, and quite frankly, in desperate need of sleep or at very least some food. Also, there was the constant threat of Circe or another Celestial Guardian coming back and attacking them, but she didn't want to worry about that until she had to. At the moment, her main concern was with trying to find out what had happened to those people so they could leave with Ness and concern themselves with finding the rest of the Alchemist Knights, spending time with her parents, and hopefully getting Roy to stop being mad at her.

At the moment, she was in a warehouse that completely and utterly unnerved her, her parents and younger versions of aunt Lissa and uncle Frederick accompanying her. As much as she wanted to talk to them, Roy's more rational words echoed in her head, terrifying her even more than her own nerves had been. Luckily, if anything, aunt Lissa could always be counted on to start a conversation.

"So, Marth, isn't it?" Lissa started as they made their way through the oddly dim corridors of the warehouse.

She started to object before recalling Roy's pseudonyms he'd given to avoid any unnecessary divulging of personal information. "Um, yes," she lied. "And you?"

"I'm Lissa. Chrom's my older brother," she introduced, gesturing towards her father, who was dashing down the halls briskly, without so much as a glance to anything in the dim light. Luckily, her mother, who had an Arcfire tome with her, was providing a bit of light for Frederick to investigate more than enough to make up for Chrom's straightforward strategy. "We came here because my best friend and her boyfriend went missing, and we heard rumors this place had something to do with all of those disappearances lately. Who was it that you lost, again?" she inquired with an innocent curiosity unfitting of her grave question.

"A friend of mine," Lucina lied, trying to grasp wildly at some proxy name. "Er, Peach. Doubt you'd know her."

"Sorry, I don't think so," admitted her future aunt, frowning. "That's weird, you don't look much younger than me, but I've never seen you around."

Gulping, Lucina began to invent excuses. "I'm er, homeschooled. Don't get out much. R- er, Leaf is too."

Lissa easily accepted this excuse, and Robin turned her head to the conversation. "That friend of yours, what were you two fighting about earlier anyways? I couldn't really hear what you were saying, but it sounded pretty bad."

"Oh, nothing important," Lucina bluffed. "We were just being stupid, me especially."

Robin nodded. "That's actually pretty mature of you. I'm guessing you have siblings, then. Probably younger ones for that sort of practice."

"Um, yes, actually," Lucina muttered. She had always heard from people that knew her mother that she had been sharp, but that was impressive. If only her and Morgan could have inherited a bit of that wit, perhaps they wouldn't be so dreadful at math, she thought with a rueful giggle. "A younger brother."

"Honestly, I'm jealous," Robin admitted with a chuckle. "I always wanted siblings, but I had to settle for Lissa, Chrom, Emm, and Frederick. They're like family to me, and I've known them so long that I feel as if they're closer to family to me than anything else."

"'Emm'?" Lucina repeated. She vaguely recalled the name from somewhere, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it.

"Emmeryn," Lissa clarified. "She's our older sister. She wanted to come, but Chrom was worried about her and made her stay behind."

She remembered the name now. Lissa on occasion spoke of her older sister, and still had a picture of her in her house, but she had died before Lucina was born. "Okay. Frederick is that man, right?" she asked, pointing to her future uncle, even though she knew the answer already.

"Yep!" Lissa answered cheerfully. "Cute, isn't he? We've know him for ages, but it took him forever to finally ask me out."

"Milady, you were the one to ask me for my courtship," corrected Frederick, who was still looking around eagerly in the dim light of Robin's spell.

"The details aren't important," dismissed Lissa with a hand-wave and a giggle. "What really matters is that you're the best boyfriend ever!" she exclaimed, tackling him from behind with a hug.

With an uneasy glance around, Robin employed her wit once more to ask a rather obvious question Lucina was shocked she hadn't thought of before. "Hey, just out of curiosity, why would a warehouse have hallways like this in the first place?"

Before she could attempt to find an explanation, Chrom cried out "Hey, I think I see something up ahead!", and a violet glow started to creep into the air. Lucina dashed ahead of the rest, hoping to find the rest of her group had perhaps caused it. If anyone else found them before her, her ruse would surely fall once someone pointed out her name was, in fact, not Marth. Without thinking, she called out "Time!" to assure no one would hear her speaking to them.

And right on cue, she found the other Alchemist Knights stationed in front of a glowing purple wall covered in odd runes. They turned towards her, weapons drawn upon hearing her footsteps, but let out a collective sigh of relief when they saw it was her. "Oh, hello Lucina, we were just trying to break down this strange wall. Any ide-"

Cutting him off, Lucina pleaded with the three. "Okay, this is really important; you can't tell anyone your real names, you can't say anything about the cores, the time travelling, or anything out of the ordinary, and most importantly, you cannot ask any questions whatsoever."

"Like why Roy isn't with you?" Ness interjected.

"I'll explain later," Lucina sighed in exasperation. "But you have to trust me on this, okay?"

Before anyone could respond, time restarted and Lucina's father, along with the rest of his company ran towards them. "Why did you run ahead like that?" asked Chrom, who was looking at the roadblock with a glare.

"I didn't want you all to rush into danger," Lucina bluffed.

Robin stared at the violet wall for a moment before pulling out a spell book. "This should be simple enough. Nosferatu!" she cried. A dark swirl of energy came from her hands and hit the wall, making an awful draining noise. The violet obstacle faded away, Robin giving a great gasp for air once it vanished entirely. She fell to the floor, trembling, and Chrom rushed to her side at once.

"Robin! I thought you said it was dangerous to use Dark Magic!" Chrom berated, taking her hand.

"But it did the trick," Robin stated softly. Lucina noticed her hands were glowing with a purple energy, likely the traces of the dark spell she'd cast. "You all go on without me, I'll feel better in a minute."

Chrom replied by sitting down next to her. "I'm not leaving you. Frederick, you take the lead!" he ordered.

"Yes sir!" Frederick called. "Lissa, stay close to me. Others, do you wish to continue with us?"

Lucina looked sadly at her parents. "We'll part ways here," she forced out. Putting a hand on her mother's shoulder, she muttered "I hope you recover" before rushing off down another corridor. The tears in her eyes blurred her view, causing her not to notice she was about to hit a wall before a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"What just happened back there?" asked Ike, letting go of her shoulder. With a great sigh, Lucina explained her woes.

After she was finished, she was met with stunned silence, save for a single voice coming from the shadows. "I know that must have been hard for you. Will you please forgive me for earlier?" asked a voice she hadn't expected to hear come out so kindly for quite a while.

Roy stepped out from behind the corner and wrapped his arms around Lucina. "Of course," Lucina replied, returning the hug. "I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry to have been so rude. You were only trying to do what you thought was right, after all."

"However did you get ahead of us?" asked Marth.

"There was another way in," replied Roy as he let go of Lucina. His voice came out oddly; it sounded slightly foreign to Lucina's ears. "Let's go on, I think I might have found something."

Dashing off down the corridor, Roy led the way for the other four. Though there were many branching paths, Roy took each turn with a certainty that almost made Lucina uneasy. If it had been a day when her brain was firing on all cylinders, she might have asked when he came to know the place so well, but on that day she simply followed her friend, grateful he wasn't upset with her anymore. They soon arrived at another violet wall, which Roy lazily dispelled with a sharp prod from his blade.

"How did you do that?" asked Ness, gaping at the red-head.

Without turning around, Roy sheathed his blade and continued on, calling back an answer that seemed made up on the spot. "Dark Magic barriers always have a weak point."

"Are you sure?" countered Ike. "'Cause we stabbed it for an hour and nothing happened."

After a moment's hesitation, Roy gave an answer, his voice cold and distant. "Must have not been in the right place."

With that, Lucina began to suspect something was very wrong. "Hey, Roy, are you alright?" asked Lucina.

"I'm fine," Roy called back. "It's right up ahead, let's keep going."

They continued, Lucina drawing her own sword in case they were being led into a trap. A clanking of metal coming from Ike and then Marth told her that her suspicions were shared. Another violet barrier was dispelled in an instant by Roy, but it did not hold more dark halls on it's other side. Rather, a large room was on the other side, one that made Lucina shutter from the dark energy that seemed to emanate from it.

A large violet crystal was in the center of the room, and it appeared that some energy was flowing into it from various points across the room. A few steps in and a glance around told her the source of the energy: still bodies were strewn across the floor, forming a rough ring around the crystal. The energy seemed to be drained from each of them, a few particles at a time. The only unconscious form that wasn't being drained was a young man in a dark cloak, who was collapsed at the foot of the crystal. Ness ran across the room to a young girl in a pink dress and tried to shake her awake. "Paula!" he cried. "Wake up, please, you've got to!"

"They aren't dead," told Roy, his voice colder than Lucina had ever heard it. "They're simply being drained of their magical energy."

Something clicked in Lucina's mind and she voiced what she'd suspected for quite some time. "You aren't Roy, are you?" she asked.

"That depends what you mean by that," "Roy" stated coolly. "This is, in fact Roy's body, but Roy is not the one speaking at the moment."

"So you're the one who took Paula and all those other people!" roared Ness, taking his baseball bat in his hand and charging for the possessed Roy.

"Yes, but only to attract you all here," explained "Roy" as he dodged Ness's strike with ease. "The fact that I could gather their energy to give myself and my colleagues more strength was simply an added bonus."

With a cry of "Flare!", Ike sent a stream of blue flames towards the possessed boy. "You're a Star Eater, aren't you?" he accused.

A cold laugh came from "Roy" as the flames hit him in the chest, doing no visible damage. "If you harm me, your friend will suffer when he wakes. But yes, Knight of Fire, you are correct. I am Grima of the Celestial Guardians, and if you will meet my request, your friend will be unharmed, as will the rest of them."

"Reasoning with a monster is futile!" Marth cried, pointing his blade towards "Roy's" heart.

"I simply ask that in return for the release of your friend and these other people, you allow me to probe the mind of the Knight of Sky for a moment," Grima proposed with a twisted grin.

Charging for him, Ike swung his mighty sword at "Roy", barely missing him. "I won't let you hurt Marth!" Ike bellowed. "Now, release Roy!"

"It seemed reasonable to me," muttered Grima. "Very well then. I suppose if I must fight you..."

He went over to the cloaked figure on the ground and picked up a lightning bolt-shaped sword from his side. Slashing it through the air, a flurry of electric darts flew at Ike, knocking him back. With a stab to the air, Grima sent another bolt towards them, this time heading straight towards Lucina. Holding her sword in front of her, she braced for the impact before a bright blue light filled her vision and she found someone had stepped in front of her and deflected the attack.

A young man with white-blond hair sheathed his odd looking red blade and glanced at a blue circle that had appeared on the floor, much like the one Pit had used. Out of it shot three more fighters: a short, round masked creature brandishing a golden, spiky blade, another short, round creature, this one pink and unarmored, and Pit, who seemed to be wielding twin blades. "Looks like we don't have a choice," muttered the blond haired one, turning back towards "Roy" and drawing his weapon. "Starstorm Knights, let's go!"

* * *

_**AN- Hey, guest reviewer who asked for Shulk, are you happy now? Okay, I actually planned on adding him before someone said they wanted to see him, but I still hope it made you happy, Anon reviewer. This chapter seems to be one of those where everything happens, doesn't it? I mean, we have Robin, Lissa, Frederick, and Chrom, then Roy and Grima, before finishing up with Shulk, Pit, Meta Knight and Kirby. The Starstorm Knights are sort of the "Honorable Mention Alchemist Knights" but are they my favorite non-Alchemist Knights? Nah. (Love her, but I don't think she wins. It's actually probably them, just couldn't resist a joke.)**_

_**So, important chapterly question! What exactly determines a story's rating, whether it's Kplus or T. If it has deaths and some dark parts, but no cursing or anything inappropriate, would you consider that Kplus or T? I've been considering changing the rating on Alchemist Knight, but I'm unsure whether it should earn a T or not. What do you people think?**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	21. Shulk

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Seventeen- Shulk_

As the fair-haired young man began to charge at "Roy", he was thrown back with another Lightning spell from Grima. He smiled oddly and ran to Pit, who had somehow merged his blades into the bow he had used before and was aiming an arrow towards their foe. Tapping Pit's arm sharply, he ran back towards the other Alchemist Knights as Pit and the other two charged "Roy".

"Okay," the boy started, his eyes flitting over the cores. "Good, you have the Electricity core. That should make this a breeze. Use 'Magnet' and you'll absorb his attacks. Should be pretty easy to take him out after that."

"Er, Shulk?" Pit called as he dodged one of Grima's blows from the lightning bolt sword. "I don't think we should take him out."

The boy, "Shulk" looked a bit confused before his blue eyes rested on the red core still laying on "Roy's" chest. "One of the Celestial Guardians possessed him," Lucina explained. "Is there any way to save him?"

"Luigi knocked it out of Peach, right?" Ike reminded them.

Shulk glanced at Ike's core and nodded. "I'm pretty sure it's not possible to beat it out of them, unless it was a really light grip, but luckily, we have you."

"Me? What can I do about it?" asked Ike, blocking a stray bolt that was soaring towards them with his sword.

"There's an attack you can use called 'Pyre' that can force dark energy out of people," explained Shulk. "Be careful, though. It'll hurt anyone who isn't possessed pretty badly."

With a nod, Ike darted through Grima's fire and started to cast the attack before being struck by a Lightning spell. "You thought it was that simple?" Grima taunted, a sneer forming across Roy's face.

Shooting a glance towards Ness, Marth started to spew out some sort of plan. "Perhaps Ness should accompany Ike to draw the fire," he suggested.

The knights of Fire and Electricity exchanged a nod and rushed back towards "Roy". With the next jab from the lightning sword he wielded, Ness called out "Magnet!" and the bolt was sucked towards some sort of blue energy field he'd conjured, being absorbed harmlessly.

A small flash of blue came from Shulk's general direction, as did a grimace of pain. "Wait!" he called, but it fell upon deaf ears.

"Pyre!", called Ike, and his core shot a stream of white flames. With a snicker, "Roy" dodged it gracefully and then sent some dark spell towards Ike. The cry of pain as a weak violet current rushed out of him made Lucina worry, considering how similar he was starting to look to the limp bodies on the floor. The white flames scattered on the floor gave her an idea. A stupid, reckless one that could potentially get Roy, herself, and/or Ike killed, but the only one she had at the moment. Her blade dragging behind her, she rushed towards "Roy".

Her sword seemed to catch some of the flames as it trailed on the floor, and it soon was tipped with pale embers. "Roy" was turned away from her, giving her the perfect window to charge her sword straight into him. If it really only purified the possessed, surely it wouldn't harm him, right?

Would this work? Lucina had no idea, but she was either going to impale or save one of her best friend, and she was really hoping it was the latter. She tried to make a cut that probably wouldn't kill him if it didn't work, at very least, but she still had to close her eyes as she made the slice.

A cry of pain made her open them once more to see not blood, but some sort of black flame shooting out of Roy. His body collapsed and the black fire shot back towards the cloaked figure laying down near the violet crystal. Everything seemed to stop moving for a moment as Lucina checked for a pulse. The fluttering rhythm coursing through the red-haired boy's wrist made Lucina's eyes cloud with teary relief. "Sorry," she murmured, her voice cracking. "I really hope that didn't hurt." Sobbing into her unconscious friend's cloak, she realized how worried she'd been.

"Jumpstart!" came a cry from behind her. A weak, golden current passed through Roy, who uneasily pushed himself up.

"God, that hurt," Roy muttered, clutching a hand to his head. "Was I attacking you?"

Lucina embraced her friend, and tried to explain what had happened as quickly as she could. "You were possessed by one of the Celestial Guardians and-"

"I remember that much," interrupted Roy. "Grima got into my brain, and then I was attacking you guys, I think. I'm really sorry about that, by the way."

"There is no need to apologize," Marth reassured him, his sword aimed towards the now twitching cloaked figure on the ground. "Do you feel alright?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah, I'm fi-"

"Lovely. I know this might seem cruel, but may I ask you to stay off the field of battle? Considering your injuries, it hardly seems safe to allow you to fight in this condition." Marth requested politely. Roy cast an uneasy glance towards him before nodding.

Grima stood up and smirked, his face covered by a hood and a mask. "Knight of Sky, shall we duel? My previous terms apply."

"If you fight one of us, you fight all of us!" Pit roared.

"We would never allow you to harm one of friends!" Lucina added.

Marth held his rapier in front of Lucina and gave a small shake of his head before stepping forwards. "I will gladly accept your challenge. However, may I extend this duel to three-on-one, favoring myself? Considering your advantage, it seems only fair."

Lucina almost asked what he was planning, but a warning glance from Ike and a small shake of his head stopped her.

Grima nodded. "I accept your terms so long as you accept mine. And you partners shall be-?"

"Ike and Shulk," Marth stated. The Knight of Fire and red-clad Starstorm Knight stepped up beside him, weapons drawn at their sides.

"What are they planning?" questioned Lucina as she watched Grima pick up his lightning sword.

Pit was watching the four intently. "It was Shulk's idea. He saw something while you were making sure Roy was alright and thought up a plan."

"'Saw something?'" repeated Roy. "What do you mean?"

The short blue knight was the one to explain it. "Shulk possesses the gift of foresight. He is sometimes able to see things before they happen, and plan accordingly," he explained.

That would explain his warning earlier, Lucina thought. "That's amazing!" she exclaimed. "Can he trigger it at will, or does it just happen? And how far can he see? Is it only things that happen to him, or can he see other people's futures too?" she asked, rapid-fire.

Pit's eyes were fixed upon the fire coming from the duel, but he shook his head. "He can't trigger it, he can see any point in his future, and he can only see his own future," he answered. "Well, that's what he told me, at least. Trust me, when I met him, I had the same questions."

Lucina watched Grima's lightning spells getting shot out of the air by Marth's Strike, but her mind started to fill with questions for Shulk and his partners. Had he always had the ability? Was that what had led him to working with Rosalina? Did he see exactly what would happen, or was he able to change it? How much of his own future did he know? The concept of foresight shouldn't have seemed so foreign to Lucina, considering she was a time-traveler herself, but it still seemed incredible that someone would be able to see into their own future.

A nod came from Marth, and Shulk darted away from the other two and began to rather recklessly lunge towards Grima. At the same time, Ike cast Pyre as quietly as he could and Marth cast Strike, making the white fire into some sort of blazing white-gold arrow shooting straight toward him.

A lazy deflection from Grima's lightning sword sent the Pyre scattering across the room like a pale gold firework. "You underestimate me," Grima scoffed as he caught Shulk in a dark spell. "I will not fall for the same trick twice. Was that your strategy, Knight of Sky?"

Marth looked pained, saying more clearly than words ever could that his only plan had just failed.

"You have lost. I promise it will be painless, for the most part," Grima stated coldly, Shulk dropping to the ground after his spell dissipated.

"I have no intention of giving up, even if one strategy fails," Marth rebutted. "Nova!" he cried, pointing his blade towards Grima. A small explosion went off at Grima's feet, knocking him back.

Lucina noticed then that Ness was no longer with their group, which should have been a signal that perhaps Marth's strategy was not only to attempt to heal their foe. Lucina located him beside the blonde girl in the pink dress he had attempted to awaken earlier. She edged closer to them, as she could barely hear Ness saying something.

"Jumpstart!" Ness cried over and over, more tears hitting the ground with every current rushing into the girl that did nothing. "Please, Paula, just wake up!"

He held her wrist and after a moment collapsed on the ground in a puddle of anguished tears. "No, please, just wake up!" he begged in a pained scream. Even Grima turned towards the Knight of Electricity as he sent up a prayer for his friend. "God, just please don't let her be dead, please!" he pleaded tearfully.

"She was one of the few to not survive the extraction," Grima explained coolly. "She had an awful lot of energy, but she didn't quite make it. I'd been meaning to find a place to dispose of her, but I haven't quite found a good place for it."

Ness suddenly let go of the hand of his friend's corpse and stood up, turning towards the cloaked Celestial Guardian. "Monster!" Ness sobbed. "No one move, he's mine!"

* * *

_**AN- Do you see why I changed the rating? I mean, I know we never really knew Paula, but still, two character deaths and a bit of violence is probably worthy of a T rating. Also, forgive me if Shulk is a bit OOC. I'm doing a bit of reconnaissance on him (aka watching a Let's Play of Xenoblade Chronicles) as we speak, but I still have no clue if I messed up a few things. If so, I'll work on fixing it in later chapters. **_

_**So, chapterly question! Favorite non-Alchemist Knight character? I like Shulk (and Nah) a lot, but we haven't met the one that's probably my favorite yet. Only hint you get is that the character is from a series that has been represented as of now. :P**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	22. Gaiden Pit- Collapse

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Five- Pit- Collapse_

Once upon a time, long before he'd known of the Knights he would be irreversibly tangled up with, Pit had every intention to be a soldier in the Observatory Militia. This had always been his dream, for the entirety of his memory. It had stood beside him as long and as certainly as Palutena and Viridi, who had been his best friends so long he'd forgotten how he came to know them.

They'd always stood by him, even when he did horribly stupid things. They were the best kind of friends, the ones that would never make him face something alone, even if it was his fault. Of course, this shattered when he messed up so majorly that nothing remained of their friendship afterward, save for the broken memories he held close to him.

The day his entire life collapsed, the Observatory was under attack. This wasn't unusual; after all, a town that floated through the cosmos was bound to end up in unfriendly territory on occasion. The Observatory Militia was made exactly for that purpose, as were the disaster shelters in every single structure in the city. Pit always loved watching out of the mile-thick windows to see the incredible fighting of the brave soldiers that he wanted to join someday. However, on that particular day, he wasn't in awe of their skills so much as he was antsy and irritated that he was stuck inside while they were protecting the city and actually doing something.

And then The Idea hit, the one he'd regret for the rest of his life. Waiting for a good minute when everyone else was distracted by the spectacle outside, he leaned over to his friends and whispered his horrible idea. "Hey, what d'ya say we go outside and help fight those stupid Aulums?" he suggested it, not knowing what it would bring about.

"Aurum," corrected Viridi.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go!"

Palutena looked out of the window uneasily. "Pit, I don't think that's a good idea," she advised.

Looking back, Pit wished so much he would have just accepted her rejection and sat in that room, still aching for action, but whole. Instead, he protested. "Oh, come on! It'll be fun, and we'll be heroes! Just think, we'll fight off the invaders awesomely and-"

"Get expelled," Finished Viridi. "Pit, I agree with Palutena on this. That ranks up there with Floor Ice Cream on your list of awful ideas."

"Now, Viridi, I think we can all agree that Floor Ice Cream was actually not a terrible idea, or at least not as bad as the Eggplant Incident," Palutena chided, and Pit shivered in memory of the latter. "However, going outside to fight is. There are so many ways we could get killed out there, and with only three of us, we'd probably end up splattered on the walls in seven different ways each."

Pit looked outside to see a dark-clad man with an enormous sword cut one of the odd silver and green creatures in two and made the what was probably the worst decision he would ever make. "Okay then, I'll go!" he proclaimed. "You two have fun watching me!"

With a quick glance to make sure no one was looking, he crept to the door leading out of the safe room and swung it open quickly. It barely made a noise, so he thought surely no one would have noticed he had left. He dashed through the halls to his locker and got out the bow he used for combat practice. With a smile, he started to the door, nothing but adrenaline pounding through his veins. The call of "Pit, wait!" that came from behind him made him jump, but his face quickly changed to bear a smile.

"Awesome, you're coming, then?" he asked Palutena as he turned to face her. He saw Viridi was following closely behind, out of breath as she tried to keep up with the green-haired girl.

"Please, just come back to the room," pleaded Palutena.

"If you go out there, those Aurum will be having barbequed angel for dinner tonight," added Viridi.

Why couldn't he have listened to reason? If only he had followed them back into the room then, Pit's world would have remained stable and intact. Instead, he dashed forward and thrust open the doors. As he ran through them, he heard a sigh from Palutena and a hiss from Viridi.

"You know we're not going to let you die alone out there, right?" Viridi asked with an insincere smile that Pit could hear in her voice.

He gave one of joy as he turned back around. "Of course!" he cried. "We'll be awesome together! Palutena, d'you have your staff?"

Giving a small twirl of the blue-tipped staff Palutena used to perform her Light Magic spells, she nodded with a frown. "Are you sure we can't talk you out of this?" she asked desperately.

"Nope!" Pit cheerily stated. Now, he wondered why he'd ignored his friends' warnings and misgivings. He must have known what a bad idea it was, right?

But as he stepped out into the battlefield that day, he'd never felt more alive as he spread out his wings and soared into the fray. Pulling back the bowstring, he shot an arrow of light right into one of the odd invading creatures. It stumbled a bit and fell after two more rapid-fire shots into his foe.

Pit honestly didn't remember that much of the fight until one of the soldiers had noticed him. A young woman in blue shot a bolt of electricity into a triangular monster he was fighting and looked at him oddly. "You look a bit young to be here," she stated, irritation pulling at her vocal chords.

"He is," cried Viridi, who was watching Pit from the ground and shooting some thorn-covered vines at some of the Aurum.

The woman narrowed her gaze. "Shouldn't you be in the school?" she questioned.

Pit responded by shooting down another Aurum. "But I'm helping!" he protested.

The woman's gaze was caught by a gold sphere with odd silver rings and circles surrounding it. "You kids get back inside," she ordered. "It's dangerous, but don't worry! I can handle this."

That was his last chance to turn back. Why he didn't take it, he'd never know. He only knew that as the woman hovered to the sphere, he followed, wings beating through the air more effortlessly than he'd even know them to again. Letting a shot from his bow fly towards the odd device, he heard a simple "plink" as it bounced off of it harmlessly.

As the electric mage shot him a look of pure rage, she sent a thick current through the air towards the device. It seemed to evaporate as it hit it, leaving it unharmed. Another bolt of energy hit the woman, knocking her down. Palutena rushed to her side and cried out with a relieved sigh of "She's still breathing."

Viridi's musing mutter of "It seems to be inorganic, so if something could get through that armor…" came soon after.

"My Heavenly Light spell could do something!" Palutena exclaimed. "Viridi, wrap it up in your vines. Pit, distract it," she ordered.

With a nod, Pit ducked in front of it. He thought Palutena's plan was great; surely nothing could go wrong with something so simple, right? Viridi sent some vines to wrap up the core, and for a glorious moment, it seemed to have worked. But as Palutena cried "Heavenly Light!", the device sent some beam towards her, trapping her. The cry of pain she let out as it seemed to drain her energy still haunted Pit's dreams even to this day. He flew up to try to help her, but the device then let out a beam of pure energy that came crashing at them.

Everything came crashing around him after that, his world black and still. Until he woke up in the infirmary a week later, he'd apparently been thought to be a hopeless case, as the doctors told him later. Someone told him he was lucky to have survived, that almost everything but his wings would make a full recovery, that he wouldn't be able to fly on his own without a dose of flight magic, but even then only in short bursts. He thought that knowledge would be what would break him. Of course, that was the kindest pain he'd suffer.

He asked about Palutena and the others. The doctors uneasily told him that Viridi and the other woman, apparently a commander named Phosphora were unharmed, and quickly told him that the Aurum Brain they'd fought had been taken care of and the Observatory was safe. Pit knew even then there was something they weren't telling him, and something in his gut knew exactly what it was. It wasn't confirmed until he was strong enough to look to his left, to the hospital bed next to his.

The green-haired girl he'd known for all his life, his closest friend, the person he'd tried to save at the last minute, she was unconscious with all manners of IV bags hooked up to her and an oxygen mask on her face. The scare pulse displayed on the cardiac monitor beside her bed made his heart fall and his eyes fill with tears. The doctors told him she was surely in a coma and would likely never awaken from it. She was on life support, but even they wouldn't be able to sustain her, they said.

It was his fault. Palutena was as good as dead, as were his dreams of ever being a soldier, and it was completely his fault, no matter how he looked at it. When Viridi visited later that day, though she never said a word of it, there seemed to be some unspoken agreement between them that this awful fault of Pit's was too great to forgive and he shouldn't expect to ever speak to her again. There was no "Take care", "Best wishes," or even "Goodbye," at the end of their friendship. The only farewell he got was the shattered air he'd have to learn to live with.

With all his hopes crushed, as soon as he was well enough to leave the hospital, he went to the only place he could think of to go: Lady Rosalina's palace. She was kind and merciful, and more importantly, could surely give Pit some job to do so he wouldn't be a useless flightless angel for much longer. As he walked through the long corridor leading to her study, he could have sworn he saw a flicker of blue and red out of the corner of his eye. It took only one knock on the door for Lady Rosalina to swing it open. "Ah, Pit," she greeted plainly. "I've been expecting you."

"You have?" he asked, taking a seat in a red cushioned chair the ruler of his world had motioned to.

She gave an odd smile. "Yes, of course. I presume you're inquiring about your future?" she prompted.

"Yeah," Pit told. "I mean, I know I messed up, but I want to still help the Observatory somehow. Please, I'll be a servant, I'll pick up trash, I'll do anything! Please," he pleaded. "Just let me help!"

"There is a place that the broken, the ones that couldn't help anywhere else go," began Lady Rosalina. "You see, there is a special task force of mine, a private army, so to say. There are only three members as of now: a man that was once a high-ranking member of an army that is all but extinct, a young knight of that same army that has no where else to receive training for his special skills, and a young man that is around your age, perhaps a bit older. I think a flightless angel that was too eager to protect his homeland would fit in nicely with them."

Pit could hardly believe her offer. "Really? I mean, I got my best friend killed. Wouldn't I just mess up again?"

"Perhaps," she stated. "But perhaps you will become someone brilliant. We'll never know unless we run that risk, will we?"

The grateful tears of joy that filled Pit's eyes as Lady Rosalina beckoned him to follow her to the quarters of her "Special Task Force" clouded his vision, but he still thanked her profusely with every step they took. Swinging open the doors to a rather small space, Pit got his first glance of the place he'd proceed to spend the better part of the next several years of his life. One side of the room was a cluttered mess of papers, tools, and scraps, while the other seemed to be a simple space meant for training, with a sandbag that looked as if it'd been hopelessly abused slouched in one corner. A smile filled Pit's face as he took it in.

A door to the side opened and a rather impressively pale boy with blond hair and an odd red blade strapped to his back entered the room. His eyes were darkened with sleepless black circles, and refused to snap away from Pit's. With a sudden motion, he grabbed Pit's hand and gave an broad smile. "So I finally get to meet you!", he exclaimed, his dull eyes bright with elation Pit couldn't even begin to understand.

Some sort of embarrassed cry of panic came from Pit which he would later regret. Jerking his hand away, he questioned "What was that all about?", and the blond looked down sadly.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I've seen this day for so long, I've been looking forward to it for so long, and I messed it up."

He looked near tears, and Pit felt very bad for reacting so violently. Placing a shaky hand on his shoulder, he smiled as the boy looked up. "Sorry 'bout that," he apologized. "I just didn't really know what you were doing, that's all. My name's Pit. Nice to meet you!"

"I-I-I'm Shulk," an uneasy stammer told. "S-sorry, I guess I just got a b-bit t-too excited about this. I-I-I mean, I-I haven't had a f-friend in a-ages, in l-longer than I c-can remember, and I've been r-really looking f-forward to finally kn-knowing s-someone around my o-own age."

At the time, Pit had found it impressive that Shulk had already decided they were best friends after knowing him for all of two minutes. He hadn't realized Shulk had known him for much longer, in a way. "So," he turned to question Rosalina. "Er, did you tell him about me?"

"I had no need to," she stated simply. "See, there is a reason Shulk is here and not anywhere else."

His best guess was "He gets sick a lot?", but that was met with a small cry of embarrassment.

"Well, I do get sick sometimes, but that's not why I'm here," muttered Shulk, who was oddly reluctant to make eye contact with him. "I-I, er, I-I can," He pulled the red blade off of his back and nervously scrapped it against the ground. His next words were too soft for Pit to make out, but he'd thought he'd heard something that sounded improbable.

"'See the future', is that what you said?"

The brightness returned to his eyes, and he looked up with a grin. "Yes! That's exactly it!", he exclaimed.

It took a moment for that to sink in, but when it did, this time it was Pit who flipped out. "Whoa, really? That's so cool! So tell me, what will I eat for dinner next Tuesday? No, that's stupid, who am I going to marry? Oh, that's even worse. Am I going to ever be able to fly again?"

"I-it doesn't work like that!", the seer explained with a panicked cry. "I-I'm not psychic!" he quickly assured Pit. "And I-I can't see anyone's future b-but my own. Can't make it happen either, it just happens sometimes. I usually see things that will happen soon, but sometimes I see things weeks, months, or even years in advance!" With a quiet mutter, he added "But actually, I think it's some sort of soup, I don't know about the second one, and no, I don't think so."

Somehow, Shulk's odd behavior made perfect sense now. He didn't realize why until later, only that it sounded like a cool power, but it hit him later just exactly why that was so. As Pit proceeded to gush over his new partner's abilities, another door opened, a small masked creature coming out of it. Pit recognized the warrior at once. "Whoa, you're Meta Knight, aren't you?" Pit asked, though he already knew the answer.

Meta Knight sighed in exasperation. "Yes. And you're the new recruit Shulk's been going on about for the past decade?" he asked gruffly.

"I think so?" Pit answered questioningly. Shulk gave a nod of confirmation and almost unnerving smile. "Well, I mean, yeah, totally!"

The Knight groaned. "Lovely. You can read Kirby bedtime stories; God knows I don't have time for it."

Another small creature came out of the door, this one smaller and pinker, without any armor to speak of. "I heard 'new person'!" he exclaimed in a shrill voice. "Yay! I love new people! I'm Kirby, and I wanna be friends!" he declared as he gave Pit's leg a tight hug.

"H-hey!", Pit exclaimed, unsure of what to make of the warm reception. "Nice to meet you."

With a graceful stride forward, Rosalina approached Pit once more, this time with her hand extended and a small metal pin shaped like a star with a flaring trail behind it. He took it from her as she explained its purpose. "This pin acts as a device you may want to use in the future for... certain tasks, but for now, it may just act as proof of your allegiance to the Starstorm Knights." As Pit pinned it onto his scarf, Rosalina gave Shulk an order to show him around, one he accepted with great eagerness, and led Pit by the hand until realizing it was making him a bit uncomfortable, and drawing it away with a dejected sigh and apologetic stutter.

The place still felt odd and strange, but it seemed Shulk was straining himself to try to make Pit feel at ease. He almost felt bad for the boy, who seemed to flit between overly cheerful and extremely nervous at whim, but that didn't stop him from feeling a little freaked out himself. Perhaps it was just that he wasn't used to talking to anyone but Palutena and Viridi for such great lengths of time, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the seer was merely so desperate for friendship that he wasn't sure how to act. Something, he wasn't quite sure what, was seriously wrong with him, something he got to see a glimpse of that night when Meta Knight forced them to put Kirby to bed.

The pink knight had chosen a book from the shelf, one which Shulk rejected violently before Pit could even see the cover of.

"Er, c-can't we choose another book?" Shulk pleaded with a nervous grimace.

Kirby's eyes shined with begging sadness. "But I like this book!" the young knight exclaimed.

Shulk responded by throwing the book across the room. "This book is not appropriate for children!" he declared as it hit a bookshelf. "It contains graphic and frightening imagery."

Pit picked the book up and was immediately confused. "It's just some picture book about a caterpillar!" Pit defended.

"Yes, th-that's s-sort of the p-point," came a shaky response. He wouldn't have dared said what he did if he'd seen the look of wide-eyed terror that Shulk tended to assume whenever the topic came up, but he'd bent down to pick up the book at this point.

"What, are you scared of caterpillars of something?" Pit asked with a snicker.

"I don't want to talk about it:" It was soft, but the only thing he'd said all day that sounded like it came from someone who was entirely calm and whole. It was creepy, almost, and when Pit stood up and turned around, he was greeted by a dead-eyed Shulk who looked to be lost in some nightmarish daydream. He instantly dropped both the subject and the book.

Pit decided it was best to never mention it again, something Shulk seemed to be very grateful for. In return, he never brought up eggplants after learning of Pit's strange aversion to them. The stuttering, nervous, unhinged boy he'd first met eventually started to open up and after a few months, almost seemed to be vanish, replaced with someone he looked up to far more than he pitied. The two of them barely tolerated the tasks Rosalina set for them early on, which were more often than not menial chores, but once the Star Eaters came around, everything became a lot more interesting. More dangerous, sure, but at least it was fun, and seemed to jolt their own problems from their heads.

Shortly after the Star Eaters started to loom over Lady Rosalina, Palutena's life support finally gave out. At her funeral, his new friends stood beside him, and even though they'd never known her in life, they shared in his tears. (Or at least Shulk and Kirby did, considering Meta Knight was never known to give so much as the slightest smile or frown beneath his mask.) Viridi didn't so much as speak to him, but he felt on that day almost as if his past could finally be put behind him, with Palutena truly at rest and Viridi gone forever.

And though he'd always look back on the day he'd caused the total collapse of his life, and he'd always regret it, he'd learned to accept it. After all, without it, he'd never have known how far he could soar at the Starstorm Knights' side, or how much he could actually help someone.

* * *

**_AN- Sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled battle, but Pit's backstory is both too painfully depressing and crucial to the greater plot to hold off on sharing it any longer. Revision added Shulk's unhinged behavior, and in hindsight, this probably could have been two chapters, but characters don't get multiple Gaidens*, so Pit's story with Palutena and his story with Shulk had to be mashed together. Well, at least it's cohesive, and provides closure for each part. I think. Oh well, just take note of the characters we meet here. Perhaps they'll be important later on. Or maybe not. _**

**_So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik_**

**_*Unless you are XXX, then you get multiple ones, but are only credited for one. Or if you are XXX or XXX, in which case your Gaidens are not referred to as such, but for all intents and purposes are. So basically, I'm just being stubborn by cramming Pit's into one chapter because Floor Ice Cream._**


	23. Change

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Eighteen- Change_

Ike and Marth froze as Ness charged towards Grima, his baseball bat reared back. Turning towards the Knight of Electricity, Grima whipped a green-covered tome out of his cloak and sent several blades of wind hurdling towards him, which simply ricocheted off of the bat.

A few feet away from the Celestial Guardian, the barely conscious Shulk began to stir, sliding a small notebook across the ground with a flick of his hand. The short pink Starstorm Knight dashed across the cold, hard floor to retrieve it, Grima being too preoccupied with sending wind spells at Ness to notice. He handed the notebook to Pit, who flipped through its pages desperately. Letting out a victorious "Ah-ha!" as he pointed to one of the pages, he cried out to Ness "Try using 'Thunder'!"

"Thunder!" Ness roared, a trailing ball of electricity shooting from him. It was deflected by its target with a lazy wave of his sword.

Grima laughed. "You think it possible to defeat me by yourself?" he taunted. "It would be impossible to defeat me with all of you combined. I'll gladly stand down if you abide to my request, though."

With an uneasy look down, Marth muttered "Perhaps it would be best to submit. It would surely save bloodshed."

"N-no! You can't!" Ike cried desperately. "If anything happens to you… Well, you know, you have a lot of people that would be sad."

"The same can be said of any of us," Marth challenged.

Suddenly, Roy sighed and drew his blade. "I can't take this anymore! Sorry Marth, but I can't just stand back and let you do this."

Lucina followed as her friend lunged into the battlefield. "There may not be much I can do," she admitted sadly. "But I'll do whatever I can to stop him!"

Pit's voice rang out in a laugh. "Yeah, Starstorm Knights, let's show him who's boss!"

Shakily pushing himself to his feet, Shulk pointed his weapon at Grima, which whirred to life, the hole in it shining blue. As the Celestial Guardian was focused on all of the Knights charging towards him, he didn't notice Shulk was behind him until he let out a cry of "Backslash!" knocking the cloaked man forward with a strike from his weapon.

"Bind!" Roy cried, and ice began to sprout around Grima's hands and feet, trying to chain his limbs together.

Struggling, Grima reached for a red tome in his cloak. His lips moved silently as he desperately scanned one of the pages and Pit sent a volley of arrows at him. Fire started to form in his hands, melting Roy's bindings away. However, the blue masked knight fluttered with bat-like wings and drove his blade into Grima.

The crystal in the heart of the room began to shimmer violently and Grima laughed. Pulling a purple tome marked with a triangular symbol out, he cried "Goetia!" and violet lightning began to strike the Knights violently.

As a dark current ran through her, Lucina felt a sinking sense of despair as she collapsed, cutting her as deeply as the agony the attack itself brought. "This is hopeless," despaired a voice, perhaps her own. "We're not strong enough."

Ness called "Magnet!" from somewhere in the distance, but the scream that came soon after confirmed that the lightning plaguing the Knights was not electrical, nor was it anything Ness could absorb. Lucina thought she heard footsteps, but the dark lightning bound her to the ground, unable to find its source.

"Now, Knight of Sky, I will make this as painless as possible," echoed Grima's voice. Lucina struggled against the dark spell, but the pain bearing into her made it impossible to move or even to cry out.

"Nosferatu!" called out another voice, one painfully familiar and strangely close. As the agony of the spell receded, Lucina was able to get to her feet and see the woman that would one day be her mother draining the dark energy out of Grima. The cloaked Celestial Guardian hissed in pain as he struggled to escape the force field she had trapped him in. Robin, however, soon collapsed, her eyes dark with the strain of absorbing the dark spell.

With a glance around, Lucina could see the others were in no shape to fight. Or, at least, the ones who were present: the Starstorm Knights had all but vanished. The only hint that they had ever been there at all was a small notebook left on the ground, the very same Shulk had given Pit a few moments ago. As Ike attempted to drag a barely conscious Marth away from Grima, who was on the ground, attempting to recover from Robin's strike, Roy picked up the notebook before muttering "Bind", causing more ice chains to form around Grima's limbs.

Chrom dashed into the room, brandishing a sword and looking like the hero Lucina had always imagined him to be. "What happened?" he asked. "I heard shouting, and Robin ran ahead-"

Noticing the woman he would one day wed laying on the ground, he quickly ran to her. "P-please, get these children away from here and leave while you still can," she muttered. "I'll try to hold this man back."

Chrom prepared to run blade through Grima, who was struggling to get up. "No need to get selfless on me, I can kill him," he returned with a smug grin. Lucina stifled a laugh; it was easy to see how these two would eventually marry.

A dark laugh came from a corner of the room. "Fool, you think me stupid enough to use my own body for that?" cackled a voice unfamiliar to Lucina, but one that Roy obviously seemed to recognize, judging by the horrified expression on his face. Another cloaked figure came out of the shadows, one that looked identical to the man chained on the ground in all but stature.

The man they'd been fighting hadn't been Grima, then, but another puppet like Roy? Lucina recoiled in horror. Was this Grima even the true one? Most likely, judging by the Roy's recognition of him.

"Lissa!" called Chrom to the other side of the room. "Get these kids out of here, then we'll get Maribelle and Ricken!"

A white circle formed beneath Lucina and Roy, and white engulfed Lucina's vision. When it cleared, the warehouse room had been replaced with the overgrown exterior of the building. A flash beside them showed Ike and Marth had materialized next to them, and a third flash revealed Ness.

Lucina sat down on the hillside they'd ended up on and looked at the sky, which had began to turn to dusk.

"Will your parents be alright?" Marth asked concernedly.

Lucina nodded. "Surely. I mean, they died after Morgan was born, and they look far too young to have had children yet."

"Are you alright?" Ike followed. "I mean, you just saw your parents and-"

Sighing, Lucina looked into the sky. "I'm not sure, really. I want to cry, but at the same time, I'm glad I got to meet them."

The notebook Shulk had dropped was shoved into her hands by Roy. "Can you read this?" Roy asked, pointing at a block of incredibly sloppy handwriting.

Squinting, Lucina attempted to decode it. After so many years spent trying to figure out what Morgan had wrote, she was fairly experienced in reading chicken-scratch like the note in front of her.

"'Alchemist Knights'," she read. "'Sorry if we left without warning. Rosalina probably pulled us out because she thought we were in danger, but don't worry about us. Anyways, I meant to give this to you, so hopefully you managed to find it. It's my notes on the cores and their powers. Figured it would be helpful to you. And if there's anything weird written in here, don't mind it. I probably just needed to write something down and this was the most convenient place to do so. Good luck, hope to see you soon. –Shulk'"

"Great, now we'll actually have a clue as to what the heck we're doing," Roy exclaimed, his weariness canceling out any happiness in it.

An indistinct voice Lucina half recognized rang out from near the hole burned into the side of the building. Looking down, Lucina saw a young man with bright red hair, accompanied by a woman with a green ponytail and a violet-haired man. A small gasp came from her. She had heard the name Grima, and while she had recognized it, she hadn't made the connection with the story she'd grown up hearing. It didn't surprise her much to see her adopted mother and her dear friends, though, considering what Lyn had said the previous night.

"Looks like that story was true all along," Roy remarked, some distant edge in his voice. "I guess my mother was one of the people in there, then." The boy gave a bitter laugh. "Funny, I was so close to her, but I didn't feel a thing."

"We were preoccupied, don't blame yourself," Lucina reassured her friend, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"I guess we know how this story ends, though," Roy added. "It kind of surprises me, though. All of that power; Grima couldn't fall that easily, right?"

"He probably just warped away like Circe," Lucina suggested. "Your father just probably thought it was a better ending if the beast was felled and everyone lived happily ever after."

A still, silent moment followed, broken by Marth. "I wonder who Grima was. Before he became corrupted, I mean. I feel as if I know him somehow, but I can't quite place the feeling," the prince confessed. "The feeling seemed to be mutual, at very least, if his behavior towards me is any indicate."

Lucina gave Shulk's notebook another glance, but Ike snatched it out of her hands very violently and began to flip through it. "Okay, here's the part about Time Travel. Hey, Lucina, can you see if it says anything about how much we can mess with time?"

Scanning the page, Lucina only saw a brief note on the subject. "Probably shouldn't mess time too much; don't know what will happen," Shulk had written.

"Just that he doesn't know so we should be careful," Lucina explained. "Why do you ask?"

While she was almost sure he wanted to ask whether or not a relationship with someone from a different time period was possible, Ike instead said something she herself had been trying very hard not to think of since gaining this power. "Since your parents died, you could go back in time and save them, right?" he suggested.

"Is that even possible?" Lucina questioned out loud. She tried to picture it, her life with proper parents. What would that affect? Her friends? Her personality? And Morgan, what would he think? He'd surely tell her to do it, but was that even the right thing? Reviving two people that should be dead, should that power be possessed by anyone? Would her parents want her to save them, or were they content in heaven, watching their children from afar?

"That's ridiculous, of course she couldn't," Roy snorted with forced scorn. It burned Lucina just a bit, but she knew he was trying to stop her from doing something reckless. "It says not to mess with it, not to change the entirety of reality."

"How would saving two people change 'the entirety of reality'?" Ike countered, far too defensive for a cause that was not his own.

"Just think, not only would Lucina's life be completely different, but so would everyone she and her brother have ever had contact with! She might not even be an Alchemist Knight, and who knows what that would affect!" Roy argued.

"But she'd save her parents!" Ike protested. "Isn't saving someone you love important enough to risk it?"

"Please, just stop arguing!" Lucina cried. "You two are making this harder for me than it needs to be. I don't know what I should do, or if I should do anything, and you two screaming at each other isn't going to help anything!"

She felt a hand on her shoulder: Marth's. "I know something like this must be horribly difficult for you," he stated softly. "And I am truly sorry you have fallen into such a difficult situation. However, the fact remains that you have no reason to act on anything at this moment. Give it time, and surely you will know the right path to take."

Tears filling her eyes, Lucina nodded. "Thank you," she breathlessly sobbed. Staring at the setting sun once more, she thought she heard a loud boom coming from the building. Judging from the way Roy leaned towards the building and strained his eyes, it was certainly not her imagination.

Very suddenly, a loud crash came from the building, followed by a blue-green creature bursting through the roof. It appeared to be some sort of dragon, and a dark cloaked figure was held in its claws, most likely Grima. The Celestial Guardian vanished rather suddenly, and the dragon looked confused for a moment before landing on the roof and being enveloped in a bright light. A young woman emerged from the light, one which Lucina felt as if she should recognize. The astonished sputtering coming from Roy explained it perfectly.

"My mother, it must have been…" muttered Roy. "But how-?"

"I had no clue your mother was a Manakete," Marth remarked.

A gap of silence came. "Nor did I," Lucina added, trying to buy her friend time to comprehend what had just happened.

Finally, the gears in Roy's head seemed to begin to turn again. "Does that mean- am I-?"

"I would imagine so," Marth stated. "My dear friend Tiki told me that Manakete blood normally passes down to part-Manaketes as well."

Something hit Lucina in that instant, something she sincerely hoped would not hit Roy any time soon. The words she'd given her brother about Nah a few days prior echoed in her ears: "You do realize that Manaketes live a lot longer than normal humans, right?". The fact that he was to outlive all of them by thousands of years, it would surely occur to him in time, and she could only pray it wouldn't break him.

* * *

_**AN- Well, that happened. Just warning you, next chapter will be a bit boring, but I'll try to make up for it somehow. Also, there's a new prologue to the story as part of chapter one, so go check that out! It will only make everyone more confused, but it's cool!**_

_**So, chapterly question! Pretty much every main character in this story has a very depressing existence in one way or another, so which one do you think is the most depressing. So far, I'll have to go with Roy or Pit, but trust me, we haven't seen the half of our heroes' misery yet.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	24. Tiki

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Nineteen- Tiki_

It was agreed upon wordlessly that Ness would stay behind and the rest of the Alchemist Knights would return to the time all of them originated from, save for Marth. He did not voice his objection to this. Roy and Lucina had been through far too much to allow him to selfishly ask them to continue with their quest and put aside their own inner demons.

Marth knew he would not be happy there, in a place with such foreign technology and unfamiliar air. He did not say a word of it. Not when they decided to stay a week to allow for the return of an expert of Manakete biology and lineage that had been away, and certainly not when Ike asked if he was alright with staying there. With a false smile, he assured him it would be no bother.

Secretly, he wanted nothing more than to leave. To go home and see his dear friends and the people he'd pledged his life to protect. Or better yet, he wanted to spread the wings of light that appeared when he cast Lodestar and find some place even more foreign than the one he was trapped in. At least there, he would be doing something useful rather than sitting in the bedroom Lucina had insisted he stay in and attempt to decipher the notes Shulk had left them. That was out of the question, though. He would never do such a thing to his partners, who needed the time to rest after the Grima incident.

That event haunted him just as it did his partners, but in a much different way. Part of it was the grief Ness had expressed over the passing of his friend. That was another reason Marth did not protest about staying put for a week: the working of the time-travel seemed to be that the time that passed while absent from a realm was the same amount of time that would have passed upon the travelers' returning to that realm. However, it was the man they had faced that truly preyed on his mind.

Marth had recognized him, in a way he did not quite comprehend. _Déjà Vu_, it was called, was it not? That strange sense that an occurrence was not isolated, despite being unable to place just where it had occurred before. That was the only way to explain what he had felt around the cloaked monster. Some small part of him almost wished Grima had succeeded in invading his mind. If he was truly only trying to understand him better, then perhaps it would have helped him understand why he felt familiar.

The majority of him was glad that he was far away from that monster. Kidnapping and killing innocent people for the sole purpose of gaining power, he reminded Marth of the awful dictators he had been taught about in his lessons, the kind he had at one point in his life stayed asleep at night crying and praying he wouldn't become. He was glad he had matured past that. So many people believed he would one day become a good king, surely the faith of so many wasn't wholly unwarranted. He always tried to do as much good as he could in Altea, protecting the defenseless and always being warm and charitable. The citizens loved him for it, and he loved making so many people smile. That was both why he had hesitated to become and agreed to be an Alchemist Knight. Yes, he was leaving the people he protected, but he was also protecting other people by accepting this task.

The core of why the week was an unbearable torture was just that. No one benefited from him being there, save for the other Alchemist Knights, who were wholly occupied with some manner of exams. The only thing left for him to do was learn how to use the quill-like pens of this realm and make sense of Shulk's notes, which ranged from extremely useful to wholly unnerving. The majority of it was notes on the cores' powers and their workings, but hints of it digressed into bone-chilling notes that only reminded Marth of the awful power the boy had claimed to possess.

Notes on visions of the future dotted the book, written in pages in the back of the book that were otherwise untouched. A few of them seemed benign. For instance, he had noted that "Pit should be going on a field mission to find the Alchemist Knights whenever Luma fails. Remind him to mention Purity Spells." and a few scattered notes about insignificant future events. However, a few notes were rather frightening.

"That girl Pit talks about sometimes, can't remember her name, but something bad's going to happen to her," he'd written, the most benign of the horrifying ones. Another note was "Someone's going to die. Can't tell who it was, but there was blood and someone (Pit, I think) was crying," which was perfectly chilling itself, but worsened in tandem with the prior one.

The most haunting of all was not merely a few sentences, but a drawing with a quick note written under it. It was a simple sketch of a two people Marth did not recognize: a girl with a cold look in her eyes and a boy who looked almost inhuman, with artificial looking features and rather unnatural looking pupils. Shulk's annotation was fairly clear to see, but it still was still chilling. "Definitely something wrong with these two," the boy had written. "The girl spoke this time, absolutely no trace of emotion whatsoever. The boy doesn't even seem to be alive, to the point where I seriously doubt his existence is natural." Why this was the one that unnerved him the most, Marth did not know, but he only hoped whoever these two people were, his path wouldn't cross with theirs.

Thinking on it, Marth almost pitied Shulk's power. It must be so awful to see what will come to pass, to be haunted with horrible sights without any control to stop it. He had wanted to ask him more about these abilities of his, but the Starstorm Knights had vanished too quickly to allow for it. Marth was sure their paths would cross again, though, if the teal light in Lucina's pocket was any indicate. He had noticed it during the battle, but wasn't able to mention it at the time. Considering it ceased to glow after they had left, Marth was sure it was meant for one of them. Which of them, he couldn't say, but he hoped somewhat it was Shulk. After all, working closely with him would give Marth a chance to try to ease the pain the boy must feel.

But he had to ask himself, why did feel a twinge of guilt when thinking of the seer?

* * *

The past week of his life had easily been the worst Roy had ever lived. Yes, it was Finals week, which was always agonizing, but waiting for the Manakete woman Nah had said would be the only one able to tell him how his own Manakete blood affected him was purely torturous. Ever since he saw a dragon transforming back into his mother, his mind had been consistently asking one question: "How did I not know about this before?"

This is what he asked his father, who simply stated that he didn't want to worry Roy with the possibility of outliving his friends. He had no clue whether or not it would even effect him, considering his mother had only been half-Manakete.

As much as Roy wanted to be upset with his father for withholding this from him for so long, he couldn't bring himself to disagree with his thinking. So, he had to accept that whatever the woman he was to meet said, it wasn't anything he could blame on his parents. If he was going to outlive his father and friends by thousands of years, which was nauseating just to think of, it was something he was going to have to accept.

Whenever Friday came, the minutes seemed to drag until it was finally about the time he'd been told to visit the Manakete woman. Bidding his father a hasty farewell, he made his way to the house where he'd been told the woman lived. Seeing it was almost dream-like, even though it seemed horribly ordinary. Uneasily approaching the door, a voice called from behind him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" rang out a voice he barely recognized at first, before placing it as Ike's. Roy knew it shouldn't have surprised him the other Alchemist Knights had come as well, but he still wished that he had the courage to ask them to let him do this alone.

Any desires of solitude faded away with a gentle hand placed on his shoulder. "No matter what happens, we'll be there for you, alright?" Lucina murmured, as if she was trying to kill all of his fear with her kindness.

A small smile found its way on Roy's lips, despite his nerves. "I know," he whispered back.

With a few hasty steps forwards, Roy rapped on the cherry-red door. A young woman bearing a ashy green ponytail swiftly opened it with a kindly smile. "You are here to learn about your heritage, correct?" she inquired, her voice sounding far too strained and wizened to belong to someone so young. He knew at once that she must be millennia older than she looked, and a sudden chill ran down his spine with the realization that perhaps he might be like that in the future.

He gave a nod in reply, words failing him. She began to usher him and the rest of the Alchemist Knights in, but her breath caught upon laying her deadened eyes on Marth.

"It can't be," the Manakete muttered. After a pained moment, she shook her head. "Surely not. I apologize, you just look like an old friend of mine."

"Is that so?" Marth replied, recognition clearly flickering in his eyes.

"Do not concern yourself with it: that man died a thousand years ago," sighed the woman. Roy could almost feel the amusement bouncing between them. Marth had mentioned knowing a Manakete, so that Manakete must be this woman. However, much to his surprise, Marth did not say a word of it.

"How very odd," mused the prince. "My name is S-Shulk," he forced out. "Shulk L-Lowell." Shulk, wasn't that the name of one of the Starstorm Knights? Roy wondered absently why Marth would choose him as a pseudonym, but more so why Marth would use a pseudonym in the first place.

Looking saddened for a brief moment, the Manakete woman gave a polite bow. "I am Tiki. It is very nice to make your acquaintance." Tiki turned to Roy and gestured to a chair in her sitting room, which was fairly neat, despite the piles of odd items and books scattered throughout it. "Please, Mr. Pherae, right? Take a seat and we can talk."

Roy sat down, not daring to ask how she knew his name. Tiki sat opposite him and cast a glance towards the other Alchemist Knights. "You don't mind your friends being here, do you?" she asked.

"We're here for moral support," Lucina replied, placing her hand on Roy's shoulder once more. He wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed by her sudden overbearingly protective attitude or grateful for her support.

"Well then," began Tiki. "From what Miss Iris told me, you just recently learned your late mother was at least part Manakete, correct?"

Roy wondered for a minute who "Miss Iris" was before realizing it must have been Nah, who had referred them to Tiki. That would explain why she knew his name as well. "Yes," Roy replied as calmly as he could. "She was half Manakete, her mother's side," he added, wondering if it was necessary.

With a sad nod, Tiki got up from her chair and grabbed a glimmering stone, coated with a thin layer of dust from one of her shelves. Handing the stone to Roy, she began to explain. "This is a Dragonstone, the device which Manaketes use to transform into dragons. If you inherited the gene from your mother, which is the most likely scenario, you will have approximately half the lifespan of a normal Manakete: approximately seven and a half to ten thousand years."

"O-of life?" he exclaimed suddenly. Tiki gave a sad nod, and Roy felt the room begin to spin around him. "How can I tell if I 'inherited the gene'?" Roy questioned, though he knew the answer was in his hand.

"If you did, you should be able to activate the stone and transform," Tiki stated. "If you'd like, we could go outside so you can test it. Either way, you're welcome to have that one; it's an extra I keep around for young Manaketes."

The stone glowed with warmth, and he knew at once that he could activate it if he wanted to. It was confirming his fears wordlessly, and it terrified him. As the room spun around him, he shoved the stone into his pocket and almost ran to the front door. "Thank you," he spat out. "But we really must be going."

Shoving the door open, he fell to the ground, losing his balance as the door opened. He felt sick, but he pushed himself to the ground without a word. Though he was vaguely aware of someone asking if he was okay, he slammed the door shut as the last of them exited it. "Lucina, Marth, Ike, let's go save the world more or something," he cried.

Fishing the Blood and Plant cores, as Shulk's notebook had called them, out of her pocket, Lucina nodded. "We know the Air core is one of the Starstorm Knights, so we don't need to worry about them. There are four others as well, but the most important thing right now is to gather the rest of the ones we've already found."

Marth took the Blood core from her and called "Sky!", his attire melting into his Alchemist Knight garb. He followed with a shout of "Lodestar!" and the world around them melted into golden light.

* * *

_**AN- Yes, this was a strange chapter, and yes, this was kind of filler, but I needed to get that Finals week thing out of the way, and I wanted Marth to have a POV as well. Ike's will come soon enough, don't worry. But hey, next chapter we'll get to see Red and Peach again. That's fun, right? Right? RIGHT? But hey, we're almost at fifty reviews, which means the fiftieth reviewer gets to ask questions about the story, even spoiler-y ones! But if they're too spoiler-y, I might give a dodgy answer, considering a lot more has been revealed about the story this time compared to the last time I did this. Also, remember how I said the Starstorm Knights were not Alchemist Knights? Well, I was lying. Sorry! One of them is, but I'm not saying which! (Use logic, though, it's actually pretty obvious.)**_

_**So, chapterly question! What do you think Marth's deal with Shulk and Grima is? I'm just curious what you guys think, 'cause there's definitely something weird going on there. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	25. Lodestar

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty- Lodestar_

The sun was hanging low in the sky when the Alchemist Knights materialized in front of the warehouse Green and Leaf had taken them to what seemed like ages ago. Lucina found it hard to believe it was only a week ago when they stood judgment before the young man that was so suspicious of them, as it seemed like lifetimes ago. She prepared to give a sharp rapping on the door, but Roy had already stepped up to the metal door and tapped on it in an odd pattern she could vaguely remember Green using once before.

With a whip and a crash into something in the building, Leaf opened the door and swiftly turned cherry red as her brown eyes met the icy ones of the boy she'd fallen for. "Y-you, you came back!" she gasped.

"Sorry it took so long," Roy promptly apologized. "Some… things came up."

Leaf threw her arms around the red-haired boy. "Green said you guys wouldn't come back! I knew he was wrong!" she exclaimed before calling back into the building. "Hey, Red, there are some people here to see you!"

"Green was wrong, was he?" Ike muttered under his breath. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"I sincerely hope he hasn't changed his mind about our good intentions," Marth added softly.

A black haired boy wearing a red cap ran up next to his sister and glanced between the Alchemist Knights before laughing. "See you lot are wearing normal clothes today," he joked. "Well, 'xept you, Tiara Boy, but at least it's more normal than what you were wearing last time."

"Is he making fun of me?" Marth questioned under his breath.

"Leave him alone," Ike huffed. "Marth looks fine."

With a snicker, Red exclaimed "Relax, Spitfire, I'm not making fun of your girlfriend."

Lucina had to fight both the urge to punch Red's face in and her desire to burst out laughing, the latter of which grew even stronger upon seeing the horrified blush on Ike's face and Marth's confusion. She knew laughing at her friends' misery was an awful thing to do, but Red, while a bit of a jerk, had made a punchline he couldn't possibly know the appropriateness of.

She actually did giggle when Marth skewered Red's hat with his rapier and threw it to the side before placing the thin blade in a perfect position to run through Red's throat, if he wanted to. "You will not insult me, the Prince of Altea or my allies, lest you face certain doom, is this understood?"

"Oh, royalty now, are you, Princess?" Red sneered. "You don't scare me, got that?"

With a groan, Leaf pulled her brother away from Marth's blade, while Roy held Ike back from charging at Red. "Sorry," Leaf apologized as she pushed her brother behind her, trapped behind the doorway. "He tends to be a bit… testy whenever he gets nervous."

"I'm not nervous!" Red protested. "And anyways, it's not my fault those two can't take a joke!"

"And it's not my fault your brother doesn't know when to shut up!" Ike countered.

Hoping to get away before the situation grew too tense, Lucina pried the Blood core from Marth's clenched fist and tossed it to Red. "Yell 'Blood' to activate this and we'll be off," Lucina instructed.

"Why 'Blood'?" Red inquired, tossing the core in his hand casually. "If these are supposed to be elemental powers, shouldn't this be Fighting or Dragon or something?"

"Don't try to apply logic to this," Roy warned with a groan. "Trust me, I've tried. Won't get you anything but headaches."

"Fine then, 'Blood'!" Red cried. Enveloped in crimson light, the black t-shirt he was wearing dissolved into a red jacket with black sleeves, a red and white hat replaced the one tossed to the side, and his eyes seemed to melt from a red-brown to garnet. The boy nodded in approval as he glanced at his new attire. "Okay, Beautifly, I like this."

Vaguely wondering if "Beautifly" was her and if so, how he'd arrived at that nickname, Lucina remembered she hadn't transformed yet. "Time!" she quickly called out, the blue outfit enveloping her causal clothing.

"Ice!" Roy followed. Leaf gave a small smile, and Lucina was vaguely wondering if she found his cape attractive rather than superfluous.

Ike called "Fire!" and muttered something about Red's outfit not including a cape, prompting Lucina to step between the knights of Fire and Blood before they broke someone or something.

"Let's go ahead and find Peach," Lucina prompted. "Leaf, we'll make sure your brother's safe."

With a sad glance at her brother and Roy, Red's sister turned away. "O-okay. See you. Please, be safe, and I promise I'll stop Green from making any important plans without you," she choked out, Lucina becoming surer by the syllable that she had turned away to hide her tears.

Red gave a broad grin and wrapped his sorrowful sister in a hug. "Take care, little sis!" he exclaimed before breaking away and rejoining the group as Marth cast Lodestar on the green core.

The world dissolved from gold to the grungy city of Rogueport, where they had fought Circe in an underground chamber. A young woman with blonde hair was the only one to notice them materialize, and quickly snatched the fiercely glowing dark green pendant out of Marth's hand. "You must be the people Mario told me about," she murmured, her sapphire eyes fixated on the glowing core. "Have you any lead on Luigi's fate?"

"I'm really sorry about that," Lucina quickly apologized. "We don't know what happened to him, but it's possible we'll find him while we're-"

"Don't sugar-coat it, love," Peach very plainly stated. "He's dead, and you need me to help you stop anyone else from dying, right?"

"We don't know if he's dead for sure, but basically, that's the gist of it," Lucina explained, a twinge of sadness prodding at her. "Put that necklace around your neck and call out 'Plant'; that'll activate its powers."

"Plant!" Peach called, and her fairly plain faded rose-colored dress turned lacy and vibrant. Inspecting her appearance, Peach muttered "My, this is like something out of a fairy tale!" and turned towards the sun, which was hanging low in the sky. "Shame," she added. "I always hoped if my life was to be a fairy tale it would be one of the happy ones where the day is saved by true love's kiss and the hero and his princess ride off into the sunset on a white horse."

No one knew quite how to respond to that, but Ike made an attempt. "Happy endings can still exist, though," he rebutted with an awkward smile and glance at Marth.

"And Luigi won't have one if he died for nothing," Roy continued. "Peach, it wasn't your fault, you know."

The Knight of Plant turned back to the group with a warm smile. "I know, dear," she assured Roy. "It was the fault of the witch that possessed me. She is our foe, isn't she?"

"Her and her allies," Lucina explained. "They're trying to harness the power of the stars to wreak havoc on the world."

"Right, then." Peach stepped towards her new allies. "What is there to do about it?"

"We'll need to retrieve the Knight of Electricity, and then we can find the rest of the Alchemist Knights from there. Um, that's what we're called, by the way," Lucina quickly told.

Taking Ness's yellow core in his hand, Marth cast Lodestar once more, this time arriving in a graveyard.

The stars had barely began to come out, and Ness was standing alone in front of a granite tombstone that still shimmered slightly, as if it had only recently been placed there. The name carved into it: Paula Polestar, must have belonged to the girl Grima had killed. This was further proved by the bouquet clenched in Ness's left hand: ten roses of gold and white, a lone scarlet bloom in their number. The Knight of Electricity turned to the rest of the Alchemist Knights, a deafened look of numbness in his eyes. "Hello again," Ness greeted, his voice hollow. "Are we leaving now?"

"Are you ready?" Lucina questioned.

"You know, four people died in Grima's attack," Ness remarked solemnly. "One of them was a little girl, younger than me. Pippi, I think her name was."

A wave of guilt fell over the Alchemist Knights who had been present at the incident. "And we're really sorry we couldn't save them," Roy spoke softly.

"That's just my point!" Ness exclaimed, his voice filling up with a bright passion. "Since we couldn't save Paula and the rest of them, now it's up to us to protect the people we still can save, right?"

With a grin, Lucina tossed the Electricity core to him. As Ness activated it, he let the bouquet fall to the ground, landing in front of Paula's grave gracefully. As he walked back towards the group, he muttered a soft "Bye, Paula." before quickly asking "Okay, where are we starting?"

Lucina drew a core out of her pocket at random, producing the deep pink pendant. "The pink one, I suppose," she stated.

Marth took it in the hand that wasn't wrapped around a rapier. "Lodestar!" he called, and the graveyard started to fade to gold.

But before it could be wholly enveloped in Marth's light, Lucina was sure she saw a grave near Paula's marked "Emmeryn Ylisse" with a few white lilies set on the shimmering stone.

* * *

_**AN- Well, this chapter switched tones quickly. I know you lovely people are going to start to complain about how I characterized Red as being so rude, but I imagine him as a person who combats stress with joking, and considering his life, he's probably pretty stressed. I really like how Peach turned out in this, too.**_

_**I feel as if I should explain Red's nickname to Lucina, as it kind of looks like he was flirting with her on second glance. Originally, I meant for his nickname to simply be "Butterfly", since Lucina is represented by butterflies in Awakening a few times. However, I quickly realized Red wouldn't have any idea what a Butterfly was, so I changed it to Beautifly. So not at all flirting, just Red being Red.**_

_**So, chapterly question! What do you think Roy's, Peach's, and Ness's nicknames from Red should be? Figured it should be a lighthearted question after the dark ending.**_

_**Thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	26. Gaiden Ness- Pollyanna Bouquet

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Six- Ness- Pollyanna Bouquet_

"I am sorry for your loss."

Those words had haunted Ness for far too long. They were shot everywhere he looked. Mostly at himself, but also at those people who had helped the Alchemist Knights in their battle, Lucina's parents if the navy-haired girl's word was to be trusted, and Paula's family. All of them hurt, as they were reminders of what he had lost.

The second the building seemed safe and the other Alchemist Knights had left, Ness reentered the warehouse to retrieve his friend's body. The lifeless corpse that he had once called his best friend was cold and limp, making it painful to think of the breath that had once filled her lungs and voice. Lucina's father was in the room, crying over the body of a young woman with ashen curls. The blonde lady Lucina had called her aunt was sobbing as well, collapsed in the arms of the dark-haired man who had accompanied her earlier. He supposed it was a relative of theirs, but he was too preoccupied with his own heartache to think any pitying thoughts for them.

He carried Paula's body in his arms to her parent's house, not knowing anything else to do with her. He tried not to think of the warmth of her touch he would never feel again as he felt her cold, waxy skin. Not to think of her melodic voice as silence deafened his ears. Not to think of her bounding footsteps as his own echoed through the almost empty streets. The glances and gasps that came his way stung like needles. Yes, he was carrying a corpse through the streets, but that gave them no right to gawk at him.

He finally reached the house she'd lived in just a few days ago and steeled himself to explain everything to her parents. They deserved the whole truth about how their daughter had met her fate, not some half-hearted lie like what the newspapers would likely put out to explain the tragedies. Knocking on the door, he a stinging heat in his eyes as he thought of what he'd be telling her parents. They had always been such kind people. They didn't deserve their only child to have been murdered in such a cruel way. But he knew he should be the one to bear this news, not some faceless policeman who shouldn't be burdened with such a solemn duty. At least he was already destroyed by this so utterly that more tears shed over it wouldn't affect him as much.

The door opened and he rapidly spat out his explanation. Every word burned like bile down his throat, but worse was the destroyed look on the former parents' faces. To his shock, Paula's mother embraced him and thanked him for bringing their daughter home to them. Tears, either hers or his own, burned at the small cuts the incident had left him with. Yes, Paula was home, for the last time. And she was surely looking down on them now, at peace in heaven.

The next few days were a blur. Ness definitely remembered the funeral, one shared with the other three that had died at Grima's hands. Paula's casket sat beside that of a young girl named Pippi, the woman Lucina's father had wept over, who was named Emmeryn, and a man who had gone by the name of Yen'fay. At that awful funeral, he recalled clearly seeing the tears of a woman who looked quite similar to the murdered man, the tears of two people that could have only been Pippi's parents, the tears of Lucina's future family. That notion, the fact that other people were hurt by the deaths, awakened something in Ness. A voice deep inside his heart began to roar "Don't let anything like this happen again! Don't let anyone else cry like this!"

That voice was what drove him to Paula's grave for the next few days. He wanted the Alchemist Knights to return for him, and he wanted to set off on his heroic quest in front of the graves of those he failed to save. With such great powers like those his fellow Knights possessed, it was his responsibility to save other people, right? And with Grima gone from his hometown, what was to stop him from enacting the same terror on other towns, stealing more lives, causing more grief?

After a few days among the flora set lovingly in front of the graves, a memory began to float to the top of Ness's mind. One of a conversation he'd had with Paula in her life, one he'd found hopelessly boring at the time. She'd read some book on Flower Language and was telling him what different flowers meant. And at the florist's, four of her statements echoed in his mind as he asked for a very specific bouquet.

"_White roses mean purity or remembrance."_

"_So basically death flowers? Why would they have flowers just for dying."_

"_It doesn't have to be death, you know. It could be a 'get-well-soon' bouquet."_

"I'd like to buy a bouquet please. One with five white roses."

"_Yellow roses mean friendship, but it can also mean dying love."_

"'_Dying love', what does that mean? So another death flower?"_

"_Can you please stop jumping to the most violent conclusions, this is supposed to be romantic! It could just mean you don't feel the same anymore, or they have to go somewhere far away."_

"And five yellow roses."

"_A single red rose means love. Isn't that cute?"_

"_Ick, sappy!"_

"_Ness, shut up! It's supposed to be sappy!"_

"_Why tell me then?"_

"…_No reason."_

"Add a red rose too."

"_Aw, this one's really sweet! Eleven flowers in a bouquet mean the person you're giving it to is really and truly loved."_

"_That makes no sense. Why?"_

"_I don't know, it just does!"_

"Would you like to make that an even dozen?"

"No, ma'am. Just eleven."

And holding the bouquet in the twilight, Ness knew every petal was true. Laying his feelings to rest in front of Paula's grave, that would help spur him from her side, right?

And as the gold heralding his new partners' arrival flashed, Ness thought he heard a tearful "Thank you for remembering" echo in his ears as the roses made a soft thud on the earth.

* * *

_**AN- I admit it, I almost cried while writing this. This should be the last Gaiden for a while, so enjoy the break from my heartbreak detours. Also, I preemptively apologize to the fans of a certain game and its main character about how many "creative liberties" I'm going to be taking with the next Alchemist Knight to be revealed's personality. So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik **_


	27. Lucas

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty One- Lucas_

The world faded from gold to a forest blanketed in twilight, an eerie humming in the air. Lucina felt a shiver run through her while her eyes darted around, the rose glow in Marth's hand the only thing keeping the forest from fading to black.

"Surely we must be close," muttered Marth. "The core is bright, and yet there isn't anyone in sight."

Red let out a wry snort of laughter. "Nice poetry, Princess."

In the distance, the leaves seemed to rustle as if something was darting between them. Turning in the general direction of the noise, Roy took the stone Tiki had given him in his hand. "Someone's there," he muttered. "Sounds a bit too big to be human."

"Quick," Lucina instructed. "Peach, you have an attack called, er," Lucina found the names of the attacks had escaped her. "Marth," she called. "Can I see the notebook?"

Shulk's notes were tossed towards her by the prince. Flipping through the pages, Lucina strained her eyes in the dim light. "Peach, call out Vines, Red, you have Drain and-"

She was cut off by the red-eyed boy. "I won't need any special attacks when I've got my Pokémon," he insisted. Holding out a red and white sphere like those Leaf and Green had used, Red called "Go, Squirtle!" and a small blue turtle materialized from the beam of light emitted by the device.

A small girlish giggle came from Peach. "My, your creature is quite cute! I would love to have one myself."

"Sorry, Missy," Red chuckle. "No trading for this trainer."

The brush let out more noise. Something large was almost certainly approaching the group, and likely not something friendly. Ness called out "Electricity!" and his clothing melted back into his Alchemist Knight garb as he turned to face the noise.

Lucina wasn't sure what to expect to burst out of the brush, but it definitely was not what it was: a moose-like creature with half of its body reconstructed to be mechanical.

"What the Giratina is that?" Red exclaimed. "Doesn't look like any Stantler or Sawsbuck I've ever seen!"

Assuming the creatures Red listed were Pokémon, Lucina shook her head as she drew her blade. "That's because it isn't," she explained. "At least, I don't think they are."

"Some undiscovered Pokémon, then?" Red pulled another sphere off of his belt, this one topped with black and gold. "I'll catch it then. Squirtle, use Waterfall!"

The turtle creature created a massive wave of water around its small body and charged at the cyborg creature. The creature shrugged it off and charged at the turtle, knocking it backwards onto its shell.

"Squirtle, come back!" Red called, his device calling the Pokémon back into a ray of light. "Not messing around, then? Go, Pikachu!"

Another creature came from one of Red's devices: a small, yellow creature with red cheeks and a lightning bolt-shaped tail. "Pray tell, where is it that you get such cute little friends?" Peach questioned with a small girlish squeal.

Red smirked. "I have my ways," he touted. "But they're not just for show. Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!"

Small waves of sparks came from the Pokémon, hitting the creature lightly. It gave a small spasm of pain, but quickly recovered and let out bursts of steam from some exhaust pipe on its mechanical horn.

"Allow me!" Peach cried. "Vines!"

Coils of green ivy shot out of the ground and tangled around the legs of the beast. Before the vines could get a good grasp, the cyborg creature charged forward at Peach, breaking the foliage around its legs into pieces. The blonde woman let out a small gasp before producing a frying pan from the folds of her skirt and smashing it against the beast's head.

Stumbling forward, the creature turned towards Red and reared its head as if to stab the Knight of Blood with its horns. Giving a small shudder, Red made some sort of signal to his Pikachu with his hands. The creature's cheeks let out a violent current that ran right through the reconstructed reindeer, making it convulse and let out some sound that was half agonized cry, half mechanical malfunction.

Ness reared back his baseball bat and prepared to land the final blow on the creature, but was halted by a resounding cry of "Stop, you're going to hurt it."

The Alchemist Knights turned to the source of the voice, a small, fair-haired boy wearing a dark cloak. "Sorry," Ness muttered. "It attacked us first."

"That's not an excuse to put the poor creature in even more misery," the boy hissed. "Who are you people, anyways? You're not from Tazimily, so why are you all the way out here? And what's that weird light?"

Glancing at the core in Marth's hand, Lucina could see a glow so bright that it was almost impossible for its wielder to not be within a few feet of it. "Marth, hand the core to that boy," Lucina instructed. As the prince handed the pink core to the rather uneasy looking blond, she turned to the cloaked boy. "Hello, I'm Lucina Ylisse, leader of the Alchemist Knights. And you?"

"Lucas Soleur," the boy stated. He pronounced his first name "Luka" rather than the normal pronunciation of the name Lucina knew. The core in his hand was shining even brighter, a white hexagon embedded beneath its glassy surface. "Please answer my questions."

"We hail from another time and place," Marth explained. "The Alchemist Knights were chosen to save the universe from a force of chaos called the Star Eaters. The cores we wear," he held up the Sky Core around his neck. "They give us the power to combat evil and help us find the rest of our number. And considering how it reacts to you, it seems you are the chosen Knight of the Love Core."

"And what obligation do I have to this task?" asked Lucas. "There is plenty of evil in this time and place, so why do I need to worry about evil from somewhere else?"

"They do really awful things!" Ness explained. "Back where I come from, the Star Eaters kidnapped a bunch of people, and even killed four of them! And that's just in one place. There's no telling what they've done in other places."

Lucas thrust the Love core back at Marth. "Thanks for the offer, but I have to decline," he refused. "I know there are awful things in the world, trust me, and I don't want to get tangled up in any more of them."

As the boy flicked his dark hood up and walked away, Lucina felt panic flickering in her mind. What were they supposed to do if someone refused? Something in her mind reminded her that it wasn't the first time an Alchemist Knight had done that, and that they were able to win him over with kindness in time. "Wait!" she called back to Lucas. "Please, just let us at least show you our side of this!"

"I told you, I understand you perfectly," Lucas sighed. "But my own world has enough horrors to satisfy me. For instance, that poor creature you almost killed," he gestured to the still slightly convulsing cyborg that was limping away. "Chimeras like that are all around here, and have been for years now. My mother was killed by one of them, and my brother disappeared while trying to avenge her death, but even then I pity them. They exist in such corrupted forms only because humans made them that way. The very same humans turn this beautiful world into a mechanized wasteland, and so very few of us realize the awful things we're doing to the world."

"You could help if you came with us, couldn't you?" Ness offered.

"I could help a world I have no obligation to, rather than trying to salvage what's left of my own, you mean?" countered Lucas. "Plus, if I left, my father, or what's left of him after losing so much, at least, would be all alone."

Lucina felt tears burning at her eyes and in her chest as the thought of what that boy must have suffered through in such a short amount of time. His entire family was destroyed, ripped to pieces by one event. She couldn't blame him for not caring for their own struggles, but she knew she couldn't allow it, as justified as it was. His words echoed in her head and she slowly realized some middle ground in their situation. "You say your brother went missing, right?" she prompted.

Lucas nodded, and Roy gave her a minute nod. He had surely caught on to her idea. "Do you have anything that belonged to him?" asked Roy.

The boy's hand reached into some pocket of his cloak and pulled out a scrap of yellow and blue striped fabric. "This is the last trace of him anyone ended up finding," Lucas told. "Never a corpse, so for all we know, he could still be alive. Why do you ask?"

Ike gave Marth a small shove towards Lucas. "Marth here has a special ability that allows him to use an object belonging to a person to locate them," the Knight of Fire explained. "If your brother is still alive, he should be able to find him."

Letting out a small gasp, Lucas's cold, blue-violet gaze turned misty. "Is that true?" he asked, his voice suddenly soft and gentle.

"I've never tried to do it with someone from the time and place we're located it," Marth admitted. Roy shot him a warning glance. "But I would imagine so," he quickly amended, looking a bit uneasy. "And at very least, you should be able to see him before he… well…"

"If you can find my brother, I'll gladly come with you," Lucas vowed. "Is that a deal?"

"Of course!" Lucina cried. She couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face. Being able to save Lucas from his demons and recruit him as well was a deal she was glad to agree to.

Handing the cloth to Marth, Lucas muttered a short plea of "Oh God, please let this work!" as the other Alchemist Knights stepped into the radius of the circle Marth formed while using Lodestar. The prince cast the homing spell with an uneasy tone in his voice and the twilit woods turned to gold before fading into a bright, sunny expanse of orange-brown stone.

A small, delighted gasp formed in Lucas's breath, and Lucina followed his gaze to see a young boy with auburn hair. His resemblance to Lucas was striking: the two were very clearly brothers, if not twins, though the red-head looked a bit younger. However, a crimson stain on the stones made it clear that this was not a happy reunion they'd walked into. Lucas seemed too blinded by joy to notice it, and kept approaching his brother. "Claus!" he cried. "Are you alright?"

"L-Lucas!" Claus stammered out, his face pale and eyes wide. "You've got to get away from here, or she'll-"

His desperate plea was cut off by an anguished cry of pain as the dark violet shaft of an arrow pierced his chest. What little life was left in Claus's eyes faded quickly into a lifeless glaze. Astonishment and disbelief clouded Lucas's eyes long before tears set in. "N-no," he muttered. "This can't be, this has to be a dream, right?"

No one had the heart to say a word, but a shrill, unnatural screech pierced the air in place of Lucas's sobs. Arms of dark energy, much like that which Grima had used wrapped themselves around the boy's corpse. A small snapping sound resonated, and the body of Lucas's brother slowly began to stir. Arrow still in his heart and eyes still glazed over, Claus slowly stood up.

* * *

_**AN- Do I need to do the "I'm sorry for making Lucas OOC" dance? Maybe, but I feel his darker attitude fits the character nicely, with my sadly limited knowledge of his game, and his more canon personality bleeds through in parts, so it's not quite as severe as I expected it to turn out. Also, his name is, in fact, pronounced differently in the Japanese version of Brawl, reflecting the French pronunciation of the name. I know it seems silly to use his Japanese pronunciation while not calling Lucina "Lukina", but I thought it matched the surname I gave him better and added to the feel that he's from a different time and place. **_

_**Also, huge thank you to nelunsoul, who added this story to the Super Smash Bros Fanfiction Recommendation list on TV Tropes! Seriously, it means the world to me that you think so highly of my writing, and I am thrilled to have that honor. **_

_**So, chapterly question! Do you dislike how I'm changing some characters personalities? Be honest, because I am trying to balance my interpretation with the canon ones, and I fear some of them are a bit drastic.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	28. Hollow

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty Two- Hollow_

As the horrifying sight of Claus's corpse slowly standing crossed Red's eyes, a painfully familiar voice crossed his ears.

"A nice, clean kill. Better than what I could have hoped for," a woman's voice chuckled. Red felt a shiver running down his spine at the sound of the voice. It felt as if it was a voice he'd heard a thousand times before, but he couldn't quite place it.

Beside the corpse, a black-clad woman flickered into view, holding a black weapon that shimmered in pink and turquoise in places in one hand, and a… Poké Ball in the other? That was odd, considering no one else Red had met had the slightest clue what a Pokémon was. Her face was covered by a white mask, a grotesque smile crossing it, but the chestnut hair fluttering behind it gave away her identity easily. The voice's origin finally clicked in Red's head, and some odd mix of betrayal, despair, and a hint of happiness flooded into his heart.

"Blue," Red muttered, speaking a word only used in fond memory or in reference to the color for far too long in his life. "What-? Why did you-?"

"'Blue' is not my name, Blood Knight, but you were close," cackled the girl who he'd looked up to for so long. "My name is Cobalt, the Lead of Espionage for the Star Eaters and member of the Celestial Guardians."

How could she not be Blue, Red wondered. With such a similar name and appearance, was there anyone else she could be? While he didn't recognize the names she'd given, the rest of the Alchemist Knights, save for Lucas and Peach, took a weapon in their hand and faced the woman.

"Why did you kill that boy?" demanded Beautifly girl Lucina with a hiss. "Is it another one of your attempts to break us?"

"Cobalt" shrugged. "Not really," she admitted. "Really, I just thought his skill set would be of use to us. Breaking his cute little brother is just an added bonus

Cheeks dyed the color of Red's jacket, Lucas snarled "Give me that core thing, now!" and was quickly handed it by Marth.

"Call out 'Love'-" began Lucina, who was quickly cut off by the boy who's eyes were overflowing with tears.

"L-love!" shouted Lucas, a brilliant rose light enveloping him. As it faded, his dark cloak turned into a striped shirt much like the Electricity-wielder's, who's name Red could not recall. As he opened his tear-stained eyes, Red let out a small gasp. Instead of the indigo eyes that the boy had bore a moment ago, his eyes were a deep orchid, shimmering with some foreign energy.

His violet eyes focusing shakily on his brother's murderer, Lucas muttered in an empty voice "You, your memories are almost completely gone, aren't they?" as if in a trance. "The person you were before this monster overtook you, you don't even remember her name. But tell me, who's 'Silver'?"

A shiver ran through Red. Was Lucas… reading her mind? An odd, wavering look from the Love Core's wielder and a nod that came with it seemed to confirm this. But what had he been saying? Did that mean that "Cobalt" was just some monster eating up Blue's mind, or that Blue had corrupted of her own accord. And "Silver", why did that name sound familiar to him?

The white-masked woman, whoever she may have been, cast her Poké Ball onto the dry ground, letting out an unusually menacing looking Wigglytuff. "Don't flaunt your powers, kid, you're up against two Celestial Guardians." With a cruel, humorless laugh, she added "Considering how you lot did against just one of us, even with outside help, I'd be scared right about now."

The more oddly-clothed Alchemist Knights cast worried looks among themselves, but Lucas cast a glare at them. As he wondered what the psychic must have seen, the violet eyes met his and he felt a sudden lapse in his brain activity."Scared? Of a coward who would shoot someone in the back?" Red taunted quickly, some unseen force moving his lips to form the words. They came out as hollow as they ought to have, considering they weren't his.

"We have nothing to fear from the likes of you," Lucina declared in the same hollow voice. "Taking you down will be rather simple, won't it?"

Roy looked alarmed for a minute, but held a bright blue stone aloft quickly after. "We've grown stronger since then, and I only count one coward here!" spat the redhead, in a voice refreshingly filled with venom and life.

Snickering came from "Cobalt", and she gave an odd motion to her Wigglytuff. The pink Pokémon's eyes glowed with the telltale cyan of the Psychic attack and robotic looking helmet came from somewhere in the distance and fixed itself upon the head of Claus's corpse. The dark arrow embedded in his chest dissolved into a burst of Dark Pulse-esque energy that swirled around his body and shot back into his chest, the bloody wound in it quickly healing.

A voice more empty than the one that had escaped his lips came from the boy. "Celestial Guardian… Masked Man… Make… Enemies… Pay…" he choked out choppily.

"Red Knight, I believe you miscounted," "Cobalt" giggled. "Now, shall we battle?"

One of the Alchemist Knights, Red believed him to be the one Leaf had called "Ike" lunged towards Cobalt, holding a large gold sword in front of himself. The jerky motions of the boy, combined with the dull, out-of-focus gaze he gave, made Red recoil. He was surely being controlled as well, but by who? His immediate thought was "Cobalt", but the rather narrow dodges she made as the sword attempted to ram itself through her stomach made that seem unlikely.

Red's eyes fell upon Lucas, who was watching Ike with a blank stare, making odd motions with his hands and mounting something wordlessly. The air seemed colder as Red realized who had spoken for himself and Lucina. Mind reading must have been effortless for the boy, considering most Psychic-type Pokémon were unable to control minds, even with decades of training. All that power made Red shutter in the realization that he was easily the most dangerous person there. Sure, they had powers that could cut and burn, but he could make someone do all of that without it ever crossing their mind to do so. Even Cobalt's reanimation seemed like a silly magic trick compared to Lucas's powers.

"Stop that!" Marth suddenly cried out. "Lucas, abusing your powers like that… It's not right."

"Morality died along with my brother," Ike replied in the thin, transparent voice Red never wanted to hear again. "And something's stopping me from making that woman jump into a bottomless chasm, so slicing her in two seems like the better option."

A Thunderbolt Red couldn't see the origin of hit Lucas straight in the chest and made Ike stumble out of his control. The blue-haired boy's eyes widened with the realization of what had just happened. Lucas turned to the source of the attack: the helmeted corpse that had once been his brother. "I'm not fighting you," Lucas muttered, his voice as hollow as his victims'.

A cry of "Pyre!" suddenly came from Ike, and a stream of white flames shot towards the so-called "Masked Man", who robotically stepped away from the attack. "Purity spell… Useless… On me…"

"He has no heart to heal, poor boy," cackled "Cobalt". "Now, I believe we'll take our leave now. Farewell, Alchemist Knights!"

A blur of dark purple enveloped Claus's body, another absorbing "Cobalt" and her Wigglytuff. A silence filled the air, only pierced by breath.

"That… What was that?" asked Ness. "That woman who killed Lucas's brother, how did she bring him back to life?"

"She didn't," Lucas stated in his robotic voice. "My brother completely died at her hands. She just used his body as a vessel for that dark energy."

"Please, never do that again," Ike asked of the violet-eyed boy. "Not being the person controlling your own body, it makes you feel sort of sick after a while."

The lifeless, purple eyes floated between the Alchemist Knights before Lucas finally muttered "Extinguish," and his dark cloak returned. The blue-violet hue had returned to his irises.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I wasn't really sure what I was doing. That power… How can you all be handle being possessed by it for so long?"

"It doesn't possess us," Lucina explained. "The Love core works differently than the others. Instead of channeling attacks through the core, its power manifests in the user's mind and eyes."

Lucas gave a solemn nod.

"I thought the Blood core did that too for a few of its attacks," Roy pointed out. Blood core, wasn't that Red's?

"Right, thanks. So, perhaps you shouldn't keep it activated for too long until you learn to control it better?" Lucina suggested.

His stomach turning over on itself, Red asked a question he hadn't thought he'd ever ask. "Hey, Ice Burn, do my eyes change color too?" he asked the red-haired boy.

While he looked confused at first, he soon nodded. "Yeah, they're more red than they were, I think," he answered.

"Extinguish," Red muttered, wondering if the same thing Lucas had said to deactivate his powers would work for himself. It did, apparently, as a rush of power left him, his jacket fading back into a black t-shirt.

Another silent moment followed, until Lucas broke it. "Hey, before you take me home, could I maybe just see my mother before she died?" he begged. "I saw her get killed, so I know it won't be the same thing that happened here."

Lucina gave a sad nod. "I suppose, but make sure not to say anything about the future to her, okay?"

A small silver bracelet with Sunflora-like charms dangling from it was pulled carefully from a pocket in Lucas's dark cloak. "This was hers," he murmured before handing to an uneasy-looking Marth.

"Lodestar," muttered the tiara-wearing boy, and their group was caught up in golden winds. As it dissipated, the scenery turned to a lush, green town that made Red's heart pang with longing for the similar place he'd once lived. A brown-haired woman wearing a red dress that fluttered slightly in the breeze walked past them, and Lucas let out a small, longing call.

"Mother!" he cried.

The woman turned and looked at him in disbelief. "Lucas," she muttered in a soft voice. "You've grown so tall, and yet I only saw you a few moments ago. How is that so?"

"I-I'm from the future," Lucas explained. "I- I'm just going away for a while, and I wanted to say goodbye to you, but we're in a hurry, so it was faster to say goodbye here than in my time."

Her eyes filled with an odd sadness as she embraced her son. "Alright, then. Be safe wherever it is you go, promise?"

"Promise," Lucas replied, his voice breaking. If it wasn't for the fact that he was turned away, Red was sure he'd see tears streaming down the boy's face. "Tell Claus and Father I said hello," he requested as he broke away from the hug.

"Of course," his mother vowed with a sad smile. "I love you, Lucas."

"Love you too," Lucas called back as his mother walked away for the final time he'd ever see. Red wasn't the crying type, but even his eyes stung after witnessing that conversation.

Turning back towards the Alchemist Knights, Lucas's eyes flitted suspiciously between Lucina, Marth, Ike, and Roy. The four may have lacked mind reading, but they clearly knew what the others were thinking without a word. The guilt crossing all of their faces made it seem certain they were planning something. "Take me home, now." Lucas ordered.

Lucina quickly thrust a grey pendant towards Marth, who called out "Lodestar" at once, his voice filled with guilt.

The normal gold light enveloped the group, but some current of electricity struck them somewhere between the village and their destination. He could hear panicked cries, confirming it wasn't just his imagination.

He felt something break, and he fell into the dark abyss of time.

* * *

_**AN- Love Power is the really messed up one. Huh, who'd of thought. Well, me, I suppose, but I think we all know that I'm not exactly conventional. Anyways, I'm really excited for next chapter, 'cause someone's finally getting a long-overdue POV chapter. Also, the chapter after next you will all hate me for. A lot.**_

_**So, chapterly question: I'm having a hard time deciding between two characters to appear in the story. I'm debating whether Midna from Twilight Princess or Skull Kid from Majora's Mask should show up. I can't really use both, so I'd love to have advice. **_

_**Thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	29. Metal

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty Three- Metal_

Ike woke up in the middle of a field he didn't recognize. It wasn't in any time or place he'd ever known. The air was different, somehow, and while he could see black smoke polluting the darkening sky, he also heard the distant cry of a chicken in the distance. Sitting up, he looked around a bit. Two of the other Alchemist Knights were sprawled near him, but his head hurt a bit too much to attempt to look to see if Marth was among them. A hand reached to pull him to his feet, covered by a black, fingerless glove.

"Spitfire, does this happen a lot?" asked Red in his typical smug manner.

"If you mean waking up in the middle of nowhere, no, not often," Ike replied, his head throbbing from the change in position. "But was it just me, or did Marth's Lodestar weird out?"

A quiet voice that made his heart skip a beat out of both fright and happiness rang out behind him. "I believe it did," Marth stated rather apologetically. "I-I have no clue what it was I did, but I am sincerely sorry. If our friends are lost, it is my fault." Ike breathed a sigh of relief. If Marth had been separated from him, he knew he'd have panicked. It was bad enough knowing what would happen to him eventually, but not being able to protect him would have surely shot arrows of guilt into his heart.

Turning around to face the prince, Ike gave a reassuring grin. "It's fine! Whatever that was, it's not your fault, and I'm sure Lucina and the others just got off at the wrong time. We'll find them, if they don't find us first," he assured. "Anyways, I'm glad you're alright."

"Thank you," Marth muttered, his cheeks turning an embarrassed crimson. Ike felt his own burning, as they too often did in his presence. "I fear we've stranded ourselves here, wherever this is. Wait," he looked as if an idea had suddenly occurred to him. "Might anyone happen to have something belonging to one of the others?"

Red looked at Ike expectantly. "Sorry, don't think so," he apologized.

Another voice came from the side, scoffing. "Whatever happened, you brought it upon yourself!" Lucas exclaimed. "Dragging me here, tricking me like you did, I'd say you deserved it if you hadn't dragged me along too."

"Whoa, Espurr, calm down!" exclaimed Red with a small chuckle. "It's not li-"

"Excuse me, what did you call me?" interrupted the extremely creepy boy, who Ike was infinitely grateful didn't have his core activated. Being possessed wasn't an experience he wanted to relive in the slightest.

Red gave another small chuckle. "'Espurr'; it's a kind of Pokémon that looks completely innocent, but it can destroy anything around it with its Psychic powers. So, pretty much exactly like you, right?"

The Knight of Love gave a groan. "Innocent? I only just recently turned fifteen, but I've seen enough horror to last a lifetime. I believe innocence left me-"

It was Red's turn to interrupt with a loud round of laughing. "Ha, you, fifteen? You look, what, ten?"

Though he wouldn't look at the boy to check, Ike was sure Lucas was blushing furiously. "I'm telling the truth! And at least I don't look ten years older than I act and kidnap people to make them fight their dead brother!" he yelled back.

Grimacing at the harsh yells thrown between the two, Ike quickly gave Marth a desperate glance. "We need to break them up," he exclaimed, but the prince stared blankly ahead.

"I hardly think I'm the person to ask about this," Marth softly admitted. "I hardly have any idea what I'm doing without Lucina or the journal, so why should they listen to me?"

The defeated look on Marth's face made Ike desperately want to launch into some grand, encouraging speech to bring back his smile. He would have gone through with that idea, no matter how poorly it would have turned out had it not been for his eyes being drawn to the silver glow in his hand. "What does knowing what you're doing have to do with breaking up a fight? It's not like any of us know what we're doing any more than you," Ike quickly encouraged. "But hey, we're not completely hopeless: the Metal core is still glowing."

Marth opened his clenched fist and looked at the silver glow in astonishment. "Perhaps it didn't falter," he remarked with a slight smile. "That doesn't quite explain why the others were separated from us, but at least we have a task."

Turning to the still fighting Knights of Blood and Love, Marth bravely pulled Lucas back by the dangling hood of his cloak. "I apologize for deceiving you, but we didn't have much of a choice," explained the prince. "If we had allowed you to return home, the Star Eaters surely would have pursued you and captured, or even killed you."

"I'd have been willing to take that risk if it meant not having to fight Claus's corpse," Lucas muttered under his breath."

"Chances are you'd end up fighting alongside him," Ike added. "I mean, with all of your power, they'd want to weaponize it and use it to hurt people."

The rather frightening blond took the pink core in his hand. "Then destroy this so they'll have no use for me," he suggested.

"Destroying that would be more dangerous than keeping it," Marth countered. "Considering the great deal of power stored within it, letting all of that out would cause such a great magical explosion it could potentially rip a hole in the universe!"

"I don't remember that from the book," Ike remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't just make that up?"

For a brief moment, Marth looked confused, but he quickly gave an explanation. "He talks about it right after the explanation of the Light core's powers, I believe."

He gave a nod, not wanting to admit he still wasn't sure what he was talking about.

Lucas opened his mouth, as if to say something more, but Red interrupted him with a confused "I thought you said Pokémon were only in my time."

"We didn't say that," Ike corrected. "But yeah, I'm pretty sure that's right."

"Then what is this white bird Pokémon?" Red countered, pointing at the chicken Ike had heard earlier, who was much closer now. The black-haired boy bent down to look at it closer, only eliciting a confused stare from the chicken. "It sort of looks like a Pidove or a Starly, but why is it so white? It is Shiny?"

The other three Alchemist Knights stared at him in disbelief. "I'm pretty sure that's just a regular chicken," Lucas deadpanned. "And not a Poké- whatever."

"'Chicken', is that at all like a Torchic?" asked Red. Ike tried very hard not to laugh and keep in mind he probably hadn't ever heard of animals without superpowers, which was actually pretty hard considering the situation they were in. Lucas and Marth simply stared blankly and uncomprehendingly at Red, who took a red and white ball like the ones his Pokémon came out of and tossed it at the chicken. "I'll catch you, 'Chicken'!" he cried.

As it hit the bird with a thud, it let out a series of angered squawks. "Great, now you've hurt it," Lucas berated.

An odd rumbling could be heard from off in the distance. "Hey, what is that?" Ike wondered aloud as he looked in the general direction of the sound. He gasped a bit when he saw a cloud of white storming towards them, echoing the cries of the chicken Red had hurt. With an exasperated laugh, Ike cried "Angry Chicken Brigade at five-o'clock, run for it!"

Marth looked at the storming cloud of poultry and shook his head. "That, I- I'm at a loss for words."

As they neared, Red threw out one of his Pokémon, a blue-green quadrupled creature with a pink flower bulb on its back. "Ivysaur, use Vine Whip to hold those things back!" he cried. The Pokémon sent out a pair of vines from the flower and wrapped a few of the chickens in them, throwing them back. They simply charged back into the hoard, as agitated as ever.

With a distressed moan, Red sent out the orange dragon he'd also used back at Silph. "C-charizard, Flamethrower, now!"

It shot flames from its mouth, but not one of them seemed to be phased by them. "Holy Tauros, what are those things, Rock-types?" he exclaimed. "But Ivysaur didn't work either, so, what, Dragon?"

"We're up against Dragon chickens," Lucas sighed as one charged for him, its talons cutting part of his sleeve and leaving a red gash. "This is not at all how I wanted to die!" he cried, suddenly sounding like a small child.

Ike hurriedly ran between the hoard and Marth, hoping to shield him from the worst of the attack. One of them reached him, pecking at his shin and leaving a small gash. He winced in pain, prompting Marth to try to run out in front of him. He caught the prince's wrist. "No, I'll be fine," he insisted. "Try to run if you can. I'll distract them."

"What kind of leader am I if I can't even stop my friend from getting attacked by monstrous chickens?" Marth countered, trying to jump in front of Ike and run his rapier through one of the chickens.

Red screamed in pain as two of them ganged up on him. "Someone," he begged. "Stop these little Zubats!"

Suddenly, as if Red's plea had been heard, the chickens all came to a halt. Marth looked at the one he'd skewered and muttered. "This, it doesn't look organic."

The chicken fell off of the rapier and onto the ground. The small hole running through it revealed a collection of circuitry and metallic wires. "A chimera…" Lucas muttered as he inspected it.

"Not quite," a female voice responded from somewhere in the distance. A woman in a white lab coat approached them, followed by a young man with blond hair and a floppy green hat. "They are my latest creation, the Cucc-0 Revenge Squad, commissioned by Lon Lon Ranch as a method to stop people from killing their chickens," explained the woman. "I thank you for helping me assure they work."

"They did their job," Ike muttered, a bit irritated to have been used as a test subject. "Maybe a bit too well."

The green-hatted boy looked at their wounds and frowned. "Zelda, you hurt them," he complained. "Maybe don't use them on people next time?"

The woman, Zelda, gave an apologetic bow, her brown braids flying up with the sudden motion. "Please forgive me for hurting you," she stated. "I haven't introduced myself, have I? I am Zelda Hylia, owner and proprietor of Hylia Robotics."

"And I'm Link," the green-hatted boy exclaimed. "Her assistant, or, well, more like friend. She talks to me a lot more than she lets me touch her equipment."

Ike started to introduce his group, but was cut off by Zelda suddenly walking away. "I will heal your wounds at my workplace. Please follow."

The Alchemist Knights followed the woman, Link walking beside them. "Sorry 'bout that," he apologized. "She's not really a people person. So, what's that glow-y thing you've got?"

Marth gave a surprised glance to the Metal core, which was glowing violently. He gave a small smile as he handed it to Link. "I believe this is meant for you."

He looked at it for a moment before smiling. "This is really cool, can I really keep it?" he asked.

"It's called the Metal Core," Ike explained. "It's one of the Alchemy Cores."

"Cool!" Link exclaimed. "Hey, Zel," he called. "Look at this!"

The white-coated woman slowed her steps to walk in line with her friend. "This is a magical object, correct?" she inquired.

"Yes," Marth told. "It glows as it does in the presence of its chosen wielder, who is meant to join the other chosen Alchemist Knights, in this case us, to save the universe from the Star Eaters, who are attempting to spread discord and entropy across the cosmos."

Both Zelda and Link hung on Marth's every word, as did Ike, but simply for the speaker's sake. "Is that so?" Zelda managed to get out. "And Link was chosen for such a task? What an honor. You must help, no matter what!"

Link nodded. "Of course!" he agreed. "Now, how do I use this?"

"Put it on and call out 'Metal'." Marth explained.

The green-hatted boy wrapped the chord around his wrist a few times. "Metal!" Link repeated . His green clothing was enveloped in silver, reemerging as a similar outfit dyed violet. As he looked at his new appearance, Link gave a laugh. "What's with the costume?" he asked, a question Ike had asked himself countless times.

"It doesn't matter," Zelda quickly dismissed. "Either way, I will help you with this in whatever way I am capable of."

"Thank you," Marth quickly followed. "Now, we became separated from the rest of the Alchemist Knights due to a mishap with the homing spell that brought us to Link, so we need to find a way to reu-"

The prince was cut off by a high-pitched giggle coming from the low-hanging shadows. The Alchemist Knights turned towards the laugh, as did Zelda, and a small, impish creature wearing a broken, rather elaborate stone mask. A shock of bright orange hair stuck out behind the mask. It would have looked almost human if it wasn't for its small stature, grey-black skin, and the fact it was levitating.

"I found you!" exclaimed the creature in a voice that was definitely feminine, though a bit accented. "You think you're clever, running off, thinking we'd left."

Ike had no idea what she meant, but after a muffled noise from Lucas, saw the memory of their previous fight against the Celestial Knights run through his head. "You're a Celestial Guardian, then?" Ike asked, knowing the answer and tightening his grip on his sword.

"That's right," she coldly chuckled. "I'm Midna, and I think it'd be nice to end this before the sun sets, so would you perhaps be quick with your struggle? I won't drag out your end too much if you don't waste my time."

* * *

_**AN- There, you got Midna. Are you happy? Okay, probably not what you expected when I asked if you wanted Midna, but you got her. And hey, Ike finally got his POV chapter. Also, thanks to Armin and Burning Light and Crystal (the "And Crystal" is part of the same name) for suggesting Cuccos being enemies in this way back in like, chapter six or so. See, I remembered. Plus, I updated the first few chapters to be a bit better and have significantly less semi-colons. **_

_**So, chapterly question: there is something very wrong in this chapter. Okay, there are actually a few, but one is a bit more immediate. And I mean intentionally wrong, not a silly oversight on my part. Can you figure it/them out?**_

_**So, thanks for reading and preemptive apology for next chapter! –Twilight Joltik**_


	30. Zelda

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty Four- Zelda_

Marth aimed his rapier towards the Celestial Guardian, the dull rainbow of twilight reflecting off of the blade. "Strike!" he called, a golden arrow shooting towards the impish creature.

As the shot neared her, she turned into a cloud of shadowy debris. Marth looked around for where his foe may have disappeared to, only her mocking call of "Missed me!" coming from behind making him whir around to face the creature.

The Knight of Metal produced a sword from a scabbard strapped to his back and charged for Midna. She simply laughed as his attacks failed to reach her, darting away from each of his strikes. Ike called out "Flare!", and a current of blue flames danced across the fading sky. It was dodged with ease by the imp, who was quickly wrapped in the vines of one of Red's Pokémon. She vanished just as she had before, giving another mocking laugh.

"This is a bore, don't you think," Midna huffed with disdain between the fiery ribbons and needles of light flying at her, each one dodged with ease. "The sun's barely sunk, but…" she let out a loud yawn as she dodged a stream of flame from one of Red's other Pokémon. "I can barely keep my eyes open."

"Let's heat things up, then!" Link countered with a smirk as he suddenly produced a small canister from his pouch and chucked it at the Celestial Guardian. It hit her with a loud boom and a plume of smoke.

An annoyed growl came from the imp. She gazed at Link and gave a wry chuckle. "Alright then, Metal," she muttered in an eerily low register. A small, dark charge of energy formed in her hands, shooting out of them and hitting Link in the chest as she vanished into black dust once more with a cry of "See you later!"

Before Marth could register what had happened, a anguished cry came from Link. The violet-clad boy collapsed to the ground unnaturally slowly, his clothing fading back to green as if the magic he'd wielded was seeping back into the core. Marth rushed to his aid at once, but was frozen upon seeing his blue eyes staring unseeingly into the sky, as if gazing up at the barely visible stars.

Zelda grabbed his wrist as she stared at the boy blankly. After a moment of fumbling with his limp hand, she let go of it with a defeated sigh. "No pulse," she stated coldly, giving the others a broken stare. "He's dead."

Words echoed in Marth's head and tears burned at his eyes. He bent down and searched for a pulse on the other side. No matter how he pressed his fingers on the boy's wrist, it remained cold and unmoving, not the slightest trace of life throbbing within it. He had seen death before, his own mother's, even, but he'd never felt as if it were his fault. That was exactly how he felt now, considering he'd been the first to strike his killer. Perhaps if he'd had the good sense to admit defeat earlier Link would still draw breath. Sobs replaced his breath, but he tried to conceal them. "A leader was never to show weakness, after all, especially not when their comrades needed their strength,": his father had always taught him that, but he'd never envisioned how hard that would be to execute.

A hand rested on Marth's shoulder. Without even turning, he somehow knew it was Ike, most likely because neither of the other two Alchemist Knights present would do such a thing. No one spoke for a pained moment, but Zelda of all people broke it as she slowly unraveled the core wrapped around his wrist. She removed his green cap as well, folding it neatly. "He is dead, but that is no matter," she stated almost mechanically. "I believe there is a way he can still help you."

"What?" Ike cried in disbelief, his hand flinching. "He just died! Don't we need to, I don't know, tell his family, or bury him, or something, at least?"

Zelda dismissed him as she started at a run towards a building in the distance."His grandmother and sister can be notified later. The fate of the universe takes precedence over sentimentality, does it not?"

"The most important thing in any battle is to assure those who lost their lives in it are treated with respect," Marth countered, trying to keep his voice steady. "Whatever it is you speak of, it can at least wait until his family is notified."

Not a word came from Zelda, who simply continued towards the building. Marth gave the lifeless Knight of Metal a final glance, and murmured "May you be granted a peaceful rest. Please forgive me for failing you," before rushing off to pursue Zelda.

Three other pairs of footsteps echoed behind his own, no words exchanged between the four until Lucas gave a small, saddened sigh. "This is why I didn't want to come with you: I've seen plenty of death on my own time, and more isn't-"

"This isn't about you!" Red snapped back.

"I know," answered Lucas's unusually docile voice. "I just don't want anyone else to be hurt by us."

A lump formed at the back of Marth's throat. He knew tears would come, sooner or later, but he sped up so they wouldn't be seen by the others. Struggling to keep his voice even, he took a deep breath. "We didn't kill Link," he assured the blond psychic, and himself, in a way. "Midna must have had some ulterior reason to kill him."

"What makes you say that?" Red asked.

Ike finished his thought for him, something he was grateful for, as he feared the burning at his eyes and throat would show in his voice if he used it too much more. "If she killed Link so easily, she could have just as easily killed all of us. So, why didn't she?"

A silence permeated the air once more, broken by Lucas's dulled mutter of "She must have known something we didn't. Maybe whatever Zelda meant."

The Alchemist Knights finally neared the building, which was ringed by a beeping echo. The glass door was closed, but dim spots of light came from the inside. Zelda's face was illuminated by the green text of something Lucina had once referred to as a "computer", and a number of other blinking lights lit the small building. A dark figure stood before her, but it was impossible to distinguish what it might be. Marth uneasily pushed the door open, Zelda's head turning towards his as a small chime filled the air.

"Turn the lights on, won't you?" she requested, turning back to the computer, which was being filled with odd text Marth couldn't comprehend. Ike flicked something on the wall as he entered, and the small building filled with light. He could see now the various lights were attached to various black columns, and the floor was hardly anything more than snaking coils of odd rope and scraps. This hardly mattered, though, as he could also make out the figure Zelda was hunched over near.

It was easily the most disturbing thing Marth had ever seen. The figure seemed to be some nearly life-sized model of the boy that had expired in the battle, though its proportions were more akin to those of a child. Some shining substance that reflected every light in the room acted as its "skin" and "clothing", which was somewhat unnerving on its own, but even more so when coupled with the fact that it mirrored the appearance of the dead boy almost perfectly in this state, though perhaps it was a reflection from a few years in the past. Despite himself, he reached out to touch it. The smooth, cold surface of it made Marth feel sick, as it felt almost like the waxy chill of Link's hand. Its eyes caught his own, with their blank stare, but they were worse of all, for in place of the bright blue eyes that had been so filled with life, only some circular device of metal filled the painted sclera.

"What is that thing?" questioned Ike, who sounded as repulsed by it as Marth.

Zelda's fingers danced upon some panel beneath the computer for a moment more before she looked up. "This is one of my more complex creations. I started work on it when I was rather young, after my mother met her end from a deadly disease with few known cures, and none reliable enough to help her. You see, I feared my friend would one day leave me as well, so I decided that I would make an android equivalent to carry his personality and mind after he had left. Funny it started for such sentimental reasons, but with some tampering, it should be able to carry out Link's role in his place."

Something pounded at Marth's head, and his hand at once flew to the wall to steady himself. The thought of a machine imitating the deceased made his entire body go cold with repulsion. "Excuse me?" Marth exclaimed, his voice struggling against the numb tears burning away at his composure. "You say you mean for someone you cared for to essentially become a machine for the sole purpose of-"

"Yes," Zelda affirmed, cutting him off. "Link never liked the idea much either, but I believe it should be enough to help your cause."

"'Our cause'?" Red repeated. "You mean you're basically turning a human being, and a dead one at that, into a robot for our sake?"

"I beg of you, don't go through with this!" Lucas cried, a tearful crackle in his voice. "I've seen first-hand what happens if the dead aren't allowed rest, and it is easily the most awful thing I've ever seen. You don't want your best friend to be half alive, right?"

Cold blue eyes pierced each Alchemist Knight in turn before darting back to the computer. "You said yourself the fate of the universe was at stake," she recalled, her voice bearing no trait of Lucas's words affecting her. "Therefore, any and all moral objections are superseded by the necessity for the wielder of the Metal Alchemy Core. You said Link was the one chosen to wield it, which I take to mean there is no other suited to the task, and that in his death, a replacement is not lined up."

"There might be," Ike uneasily countered. "I mean, the book never said what would happen if one of us died, only that only one person was chosen."

"That likely means that only Link can fulfill this role, so therefore he will, no matter what form he must take." Zelda stated with an air of finality. "And if any of you may fall, I will replicate this process the best I can to ensure the cosmos are not without their guardians."

The blurry blackness clouding Marth's vision, the bile burning away at his esophagus, the feverish chill running through him, it was all getting too much to bear. He did the only thing he could to maintain an air of composure and rushed out the door, quickly declaring "I'll go gather Link's body!"

While dashing into the darkening field, he finally allowed his tears to fall to the ground. They burned down his cheeks, and he scarcely cared that they may still stain them whenever he reentered the building. Hopefully, he could find some excuse to never return to that place, some way to leave without her so he would never have to think of the incident again. The coldness in Zelda's voice, even when she spoke of her fallen friend, it was as inhuman as the machine she intended to replace that friend. Even the way she had spoken of sentimentality, as if it was a silly phase she had grown out of, it made him shiver as the sobs wracked his body. And her last words, they were too awful for him to even let cross his mind.

As his breaths were replaced by anguished sobs, he heard a soft mutter of "You okay?" Ike's voice rang out behind him, somehow still steady. Giving no thought to it whatsoever, Marth turned to the Knight of Fire and flung his arms around him. Ike returned the hug, giving no objection to the tears falling onto his shirt. The embrace somehow made the sobs slow a bit, as if the mere presence of it was an elixir healing the wound that had been driven deep into his psyche that night.

Finally, words were able to break through his emotions. "Ike, can you promise me something?" Marth begged. "Please, if I die, make sure I don't share Link's fate."

A small silence followed that. "I promise I won't let you die, does that work?" Ike proposed, some hollowness in his voice that couldn't quite be placed.

Despite the tears, a slight smile pulled at Marth's lips. "I suppose, but just in case?"

"I promise you will not become a robot when you die," Ike vowed, some hollow tone still filling his voice. Marth supposed it could just be his ears playing tricks on him, considering how close he was pressed to him. Perhaps that was just how people's voices sounded from that angle.

Another silent moment of allowing his tears to pour out brought another realization to his head. "You must think ill of me after seeing me break down like that," he muttered.

"'Course not," countered the Knight of Fire. "If anything, you're even braver than I'd thought."

Bravery? That was the last thing Marth would think to call his collapse. "How so?"

"It's impressive to have held it together for as long as you did. I mean, you were the only one who wasn't in tears! But being willing to drop that for someone you've barely known for a week, that…" he trailed off, as if he didn't know how to finish the thought properly.

"It feels like I've known you longer," Marth admitted, something almost longing coming out in his voice. "And considering all we've been through, I trust you more than people I've known all my life, in some ways."

The arms around him released, and Marth found himself reluctant to pull his own away. "Thanks," Ike muttered. "Honestly, I don't think there's anyone I trust more than you period. Now, do you want to go get Link like you said, or are we just going to hope they forgot you said that?"

Marth started towards the place the Knight of Metal rested, hoping that between the two of them, they could find some way to light their path. Ike's words, though he didn't add to them, echoed in his head. Something within him stirred, some long-forgotten wind of light and longing. He didn't quite know why, but something about the feeling reminded him of the strange recollection he'd felt around Grima and the regret Shulk made him feel.

* * *

_**AN- I'm sorry. I'm sorry I killed Link, I'm sorry Zelda's at best a high-functioning sociopath, I'm sorry everyone's sad, I'm sorry Toon Link's existence lies in the deepest bowels of the Uncanny Valley, and more than anything, I'm sorry for the lame pun the next chapter's title will be. **_

_**So, I can tell you what was wrong last chapter now, right? In order of asking:**_

_**The Cuccos didn't react to fire because Zelda designed them to be fire-proof. The Techno Hyrule makes just as much sense as Modern-Day Ylisse/Tellius/Elibe, so in other words, none at all. Link wore purple as foreshadowing, since purple is the color of death in Japanese. (I'm lying. It was just because I couldn't think of an alternate costume that would work for Toon Link, so I just chose Purple because it powers up both attack and defense in Minish Cap. The death thing was just a cool coincidence.) Zelda is acting weird because that's how my weird brain decided she should act, for some reason, but that was supposed to be a tip-off. Midna is the villain because I realized all of the Celestial Guardians wore masks, so I figured the Zelda villan should also wear one, which left Skull Kid, Midna, or Cia. And Marth's comment thing might have just been something he'd remembered because he'd read Shulk's book a thousand times out of boredom, but it could be foreshadowing, who knows. **_

_**No chapterly question this week, to allow for more room for you people to be upset with me. (Can we consider the shippy stuff at the end a peace offering? Please?)**_

_**Anyways, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	31. Gaiden Unknown- Fleeting Dream

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Seven- ?- Fleeting Dream_

A half-shadowed figure stood in the misty dream. The dreamer called out words he did not recognize. "Hello again. I know you've told me to stop saying this, but I really am sorry you died."

"I chose where and when to die," the figure assured him. "After all, I could never let her be sad."

"She cried plenty over your death," the dreamer protested. "All of us did. It cost us an awful lot, you know."

Feeling a presence at his side, the dreamer whirred around to see someone he didn't quite recognize, though he felt he should. Perhaps it was the dream turning his brain to dust, but perhaps it was something else. "Mine cost you a lot more," the figure muttered. "If I had known, if I had been more careful…"

He trailed off, but his thought was resumed by someone else approaching them. "What happened then is long gone. We're all dead now, well, almost all of us, anyways, and that's how it will be, every time this happens."

The dreamer's heart fluttered as a hand gripped his shoulder. A voice he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt echoed in his ears. "Sorry we can't stay long, but we still need your help," the voice stated. "We need you to try to get a message out, if there's enough of you left here to get through. I know it's nearly impossible, but can you try?"

"Of course," the dreamer's voice came out, but it sounded so much unlike the voice he was used to hearing in the waking world. "What is this message?" he asked, but the person talking seemed to already know the answer.

"If it gets to the point where you have to use the Star Core, don't let anyone but yourself or its owner use it. Promise?"

The mist shimmered and dragged the dreamer back into the haze. "Of course, but why must you be so cryptic?" he questioned, barely holding on to the dream. "I want to be able to remember everything, remember all of you."

Pulled away suddenly, the loss of the hand on his shoulder made him fall forward into the hazy void. The voice he wanted to hold onto called after him, unsteady and sorrowful. "That's not possible, you know that. He just has to remember the message. If we give him anything else to hold on to, he won't remember the important part."

Grasping at the message, the dreamer fell out of the dream, knowing he was sure not to remember it upon awakening, just as he always had.

* * *

_**AN- I swear, I didn't mean to lie when I said no more Gaidens for a while. However, this will probably be the last one until all of the Alchemist Knights have been found. Probably, don't quote me on that. Anyways, this is just weird foreshadowing to make you guys think, and it won't count as this character's Gaiden. But please, feel free to speculate. So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	32. Linked

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty Five- Linked_

Lucina's eyes shot open. In the dull light, she could see little but blinking lights coming from towers of computer monitors and their reflection off of the cold, hard floor tiles. What had happened? They were warping to the Metal Core, but something had gone wrong, hadn't it?

A shadow crossed her vision as she sat up. "Lucina, right?" asked a voice, probably Peach's. "Do you know what happened?"

"Not a clue," she admitted. "We've always been awake when warping before."

She pushed herself to her feet and looked around. Alongside Peach, there were two others, both unconscious. The dull light showed one had bright red hair that could only belong to Roy, while the other seemed to be wearing a cap, his stature indicating it was Ness rather than Red. She knelt down to the former and attempted to shake him awake, eliciting a small groan from the boy. "Dad, please just let me sleep," he mumbled.

Though she intended to continue her attempt, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. "Just let him rest," Peach whispered. "They probably need it after all of that earlier."

"I suppose so," Lucina agreed. "Especially with what happened before we left," she added under her breath. She gave the small room a quick glance. Four of them were present, so that meant four had been separated from them. Ike and Marth weren't among their number, and neither was Red, so that meant Lucas was the fourth. Where had they ended up? Considering Marth had the Metal core, it was entirely likely they'd arrived at the proper location, while they'd fallen off elsewhere. The question of how to find them remained, but that could wait until they at least figured out where they were.

The pink-clad Knight started to look at a computer monitor in the middle of the room. "This seems to be code," she muttered as her eyes scanned the ones and zeroes flying across the monitor. "It seems wherever we ended up, it's the workplace of some sort of technician."

How did she know that? Her world had seemed so different from her own, she'd assumed it to be the past, if not another planet, so she hadn't considered the possibility that they had similar technology. "They have those in your world?"

"Certainly," she responded. "I have rather little knowledge of coding myself, but I know binary when I see it. I cannot tell what it's for, however, maybe this," she held up a yellowed piece of paper covered in looping handwriting. "Will explain it."

"'To whom it may concern, please do not unplug or otherwise tamper with the technology in this area'," Peach read. "'It is vitally important that the program is allowed to run for however long it may take, even if takes years to complete. The android's programming will finish in time, so please do not allow the cords attached to it to be unplugged or take it from this place, as it is of the upmost importance that it finishes coding. –Zelda'"

"'Android'? I don't see anything I could call an android around here," Lucina muttered, glancing around the rather cramped laboratory. Peach replied by taking a mass of chords attached to the computer in her hand.

"If there is one, I'd imagine these are the chords she was talking about," Peach mused as she held the chords up and followed their snaking path along the floor. "So, if there is an android, it should be here somewhere…"

Her words trailed off into a small gasp as she walked behind some of the towers. Lucina followed to see what it was she'd seen, and found a small gasp escaping her own lips. A child was sitting in the dark corner, his face hidden by shadows and knees held by shaking hands. The heaving of his body made it seem as if he was sobbing, but not a sound pierced the air other than the whirring of machinery. Instinct drew her hand to his own, cold enough to make her remember what this boy was.

Face still hidden by his arms, the android pleaded in a synthetic voice. "Tell me who I am. Please, tell me what I am."

"I wouldn't know," Peach stated. "So tell me, do you have a name?"

"She said I was called 'Link'," the boy muttered in his emotionless voice. "But Link is dead, so how can I be him?"

With a great sigh, Lucina shook her head, though she knew it wouldn't be seen. "We don't know the answers to your questions," she admitted. "We ended up here by mistake."

"But she said when my coding was complete she'd come back for me," explained "Link". "It should be nearly done by now, but she hasn't come yet. Did she forget about me?"

There was no pain in the paper-thin, robotic voice, but she knew there was pain somewhere in the heart of the android. Something about the way the question was posed and the fact he was huddled in a corner made it seem as if the boy was very, very lonely. "I don't know," Lucina murmured, rubbing her hand across the unfeeling one "Link" possessed. "Please, tell me who this person is, if it's not too painful to think about."

"Zelda, my friend. No, that's not right, she was Link's friend when he was alive. She's my creator. She left a note telling me that the coding would take a while, but she'd be back for me when it was done. That was a long time ago, so I think I must have taken too long," "Link" explained.

Lucina wanted to comfort the boy somehow, but she knew he'd not feel any hug, and she had no reassuring words to give him. Peach, however, who had taken to pacing around the room, gave a small chuckle as her sapphire eyes passed over the monitor once more. "'Coding done'," she read. "I guess if she's still around she'll be here soon enough. How long did this run, again?"

"I wasn't awake for all of it, but if I had to guess," "Link seemed to be musing or doing some calculation in his mechanical head. "Several months, if not years."

"You've been alone for all that time?" another voice blurted out: Roy's. The red head rounded the corner and sat next to "Link", opposite Lucina. "Alone with your thoughts for all that time. How did you manage?"

"I don't remember much between the first few days and a little while ago ago," admitted "Link". "And I only remember the first days because they were the worst. The first pain is always the worst, I guess."

"'Pain'?" Roy repeated, voicing Lucina's own thoughts. Pain was an odd word for a mechanical child to use, after all. "What do you mean?"

"That other boy, I can't remember his name, but he used his powers to let me feel. It's not perfect, but even if it hurts, it's better than feeling nothing, right?" the machine muttered, finally lifting his face from between his arms. The plasticity of it was unnerving, particularly the camera shutter-like eyes, but it was almost endearing as well.

Another voice was added to the mix, this time Ness's. "That boy wasn't named Lucas, was he?"

"Link" nodded. "That sounds familiar. And another one, he tried to help too, but he wasn't able to do much. Red, I think it was?"

"So they ended up when you were first created," Lucina thought aloud. "So that means… By any chance, have you heard of something called the Metal Core?"

Another nod came from the mechanical boy. "Zelda created me to wield it in place of the proper Link, who died. That's what the program was for: tricking the Core into thinking I'm its wielder." He sat up straighter and pointed to a hollow indention in his chest. "It's supposed to go here, whenever I'm done."

Something about that was both amazing and saddening. "You suffered through all that time alone for our sake?" Roy exclaimed in hollow disbelief. "I- I'm so sorry."

"For your sake?" "Link" repeated. "I was told it was for the universe's sake, but little else. How is it for your-"

He was cut off by a flash of golden light and rush of wind. She knew it was Lodestar at once, whch didn't surprise her, given "Link's" words. Lucina turned towards it, vaguely wondering if Lodestar really did look like that to other people. It was rather lovely, as if golden wings of light were sprouting from Marth's core. As the light faded, she rushed to greet the other Alchemist Knights, only to stop upon seeing another light fill the room, this one a bright violet.

She barely had time to react to it before a horrified gasp came from Marth. "N-no," the prince seemed to be pleasing with the world, willing his eyes to be deceiving him. "The Magic core, please tell me it was glowing prior to this!"

"I presume that glow is for me?" questioned the voice of an unfamiliar woman, who wore a white coat and braids wrapped with ribbon. Lucina held out the Magic core to her, and a white star shone beneath the purple glass. The woman nodded with approval, while the other four Alchemist Knights recoiled in horror. "That will be useful. I will be able to accompany Link if the need arises to repair him in any way."

"Zelda!" "Link" was rushing towards the woman, his face rearranging itself to bear some look of rage. "Why did you leave me?"

The Knight of Magic simply handed the boy the same silver pendant they'd been pursuing when separated from the others. "It was complicated enough to run the coding in this, but the software rewriting your data in accordance with the frequencies of the core would have taken up too much of our time. The universe cannot be saved by waiting for a program to install."

Falling from rage to sadness and settling between the two, "Link" turned away from his creator. "I was lonely," he muttered.

Zelda simply turned to Lucas. "You see," she declared with some air of pride. "Your spell caused nothing but problems. Forcing a machine to feel was not a good idea, just as I had thought."

"Thank you," Link muttered, refusing to turn around. "Lucas, I'm glad I can feel sadness, because it makes me alive. Perhaps one day I'll feel happiness too."

With a sigh, Zelda stepped towards her creation and hung the Metal core around his neck. "Link" clicked it into place and cried out "Metal!", causing bright light to envelop him. When it faded, he looked no different, but silver energy seemed to be flowing through small channels in his body.

"Call out an attack," Zelda ordered, handing the mechanical boy a sword that looked a bit too big for his childlike body.

A pained grimace on Marth's face, he followed up with "'Barrier', I believe, is one."

"Link" paused for a moment, as if he were taking a breath, and held out his hand. "Barrier!" he called, a wall of metallic crystals forming in a line where his hand aimed.

"Then our work is done," Zelda coldly stated. "Link, we shall leave now."

Though he was still turned away from them, Lucina knew "Link" still bore sorrowful rage on his face. This woman showed him no kindness, though from what she could gather, she must have known the man the android was modeled on, who had perished.

Ike suddenly stepped forward and placed a floppy green cap on the "Link's" head. "This was yours, right?" he prompted.

"No, this was Link's," the mechanical boy corrected. "I am not him, I am simply his replacement."

The only flicker of emotion Lucina had seen out of Zelda flickered across her face: a brief, confused look of sorrow that quickly passed. "Then who are you?"

The android turned to face his allies, his face rearranged into a defiant frown. "I will be 'Metal'," he declared, the core still shining with a bright white heart under its glass. "After all, that's all I really am."

"Alright, Metal, do you feel up to leaving?" Lucina asked, stepping closer to Lodestar's caster.

Metal nodded, and the chords fell from him. "Please, I can't stand this place."

Lucina grabbed the final unknown core, other than Air: Light, and handed it to Marth. Though he cried out "Lodestar," nothing happened. "Is it still not working?" the prince muttered.

"Let's try the other one," Lucina suggested, handing him the Air core instead. He called it out once more, but the golden wings spread from the Sky core this time, sending them to meet the Starstorm Knights once more.

* * *

_**AN- Funny story behind Toon Link's name in this. I was telling a friend about this arc and she said that Toon Link should take a different name to symbolize the fact that he is not Link. It was a great idea, but I couldn't think of one until the obvious one came to me. So, Metal it is. I cut the explanation of how the Lodestar to Metal would work from last chapter to make the fact that none of the characters in this chapter know what's going on more relatable, but basically, the Metal core didn't belong to him until the program finished, which is why Zelda thought to exploit that and use it as a shortcut through the download time. Speaking of which, sorry she's sticking around. And I would be lying if I didn't admit this chapter was at least sort of based off of a certain Vocaloid song.**_

_**So, chapterly question! Last two Alchemist Knights, we're in the home stretch! So, who do you people think they are? I've left pretty massive hints in earlier chapters, particularly a normal chapter, sort of an Author's Note, and a Gaiden, so please let me know if anyone's picked up on it. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	33. Rosalina

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty Six- Rosalina_

The Starstorm Knights were having a fairly normal day, all things considered. Meta Knight was alternating between abusing their poor training dummy, (who had been replaced about ten thousand times, at Pit's latest count,) and sharpening his precious sword. Shulk was alternating between trying to make Pit a new bow, considering the old one had sort of been "eaten by a black hole", (and definitely not misplaced,) and jotting down his visions on random pieces of paper. Pit tried to not look at the scraps of paper, as he'd learned after Shulk predicted the death of one of the officers in the Observatory Millitia that they were rather grim at times. That hardly worked, though, and he accidentally saw a pretty cool drawing of himself in the middle of a fight in one of Shulk's many, many notebooks. Kirby was, as always, eating something Pit didn't really want to know the origin of.

And Pit was eagerly watching the clock, waiting for the hands to near three. As the hands drew close, he asked "Is it time yet?" impatiently. It took Shulk a few minutes to get around to looking up from his work, but when he did, he let out a panicked groan.

"Sorry, I must have lost track of time!" he apologized. "Ready to go? The bow should be done enough to use if you want to take it."

Snatching the bow off of Shulk's worktable, Pit exclaimed "Are you kidding? I've been ready since we got home from the Grima thing!"

His friend sighed before calling to Meta Knight. "Hey, tell Rosalina we're going to get them!" he requested, being met with only a grunt from the masked knight, which was actually quite emotive, compared to his normal fare.

As Shulk grabbed one of his notebooks and a pen, Pit leaned against the wall, a small, mischievous smile creeping up on his face. "Wanna race there?" he suggested.

"You sure that's really the best impression to leave on them?"

"They've already met us," Pit protested. "They know we're not really 'professional'. Anyways, let's go!"

Bolting out into the hall, he heard a sigh as a blue light shone behind him. Shulk dashed past him, the blue glow of his Speed art pulsing below him. "Aw, come on," Pit complained as he tried to catch up to his partner. "That's not fair!"

The glow dissipated with a "Sorry," as Shulk slowed to match Pit's pace. "You were the one who wanted to race."

"It's fine, you didn't have to deactivate it," Pit added. "I mean, if I had a super cool sword, you bet I'd use it."

With a small shake of the head, Shulk muttered "I'm glad you don't. I-" He stopped mid-sentence, as if he'd decided against what he was going to say. With a grin, he finished with "I'd never win at anything if you were the Monado's wielder!"

"You'd still find a way to use some contraption to get ahead of me," Pit countered. Shulk gave only a nod of agreement as they came to the doors of Lady Rosalina's palace, which were quickly pushed open by some terrified Lumas. "Sorry!" he cried back, turning his head to try to catch a glimpse of them. "Didn't mean to scare ya!"

As he turned his head forwards, he found himself running straight into someone. "Hey, kid, watch where you're going!" exclaimed a voice. Pit quickly stepped back to face a brown-eyes boy with a pomegranate-colored pendant hanging from a cord around his neck. Smiling, Pit refrained from letting out a victorious cry for having found the people they were looking for so quickly.

"Red, relax, he's a friend," asserted Ness, who was standing rather close to the Pomegranate Knight.

The brown eyes scanned him and turned wide with shock. "Wh-what are you?" Red exclaimed. "You look human enough, but what's with the wings? You look like some kind of angel or something."

Okay, that was new. Most everyone he'd met who wasn't from the Observatory hadn't dwelled on the fact that he had wings. Granted, that might have been because he'd dropped out of the sky or killed a dragon or something, but it was still new. "That's 'cause I am one," Pit explained.

"It's very nice to meet you," greeted a pretty girl with the green core around her neck. "I certainly hope we haven't died, but this place is so lovely, it wouldn't surprise me."

"Not that sort of angel," Pit laughed awkwardly.

Shulk cleared his throat, stepping forwards a bit. "So, er, sorry to bother you with whatever it was you came here for, but Rosalina asked me to invite you all to meet with her."

The girl with dark blue hair, (Pit was pretty sure her name was Lucina) took a step forwards and opened her mouth as if to speak, but a woman in a long white coat beat her to the punch. "This Rosalina is the one who requested our assistance, correct?" she inquired, her voice almost eerily emotionless.

"Y-yeah," Shulk replied, adding in a whisper too soft for anyone but Pit to hear "I've seen her before. She's… really creepy, isn't she?"

Though he nodded, Pit's eyes fell on the Alchemist Knight with a silver core and his mind quickly changed. The way light reflected off of every part of his body, the eyes that looked like something Shulk would make, it was a creepy effect to be sure.

"Very well then, we shall meet with her at once," the woman declared.

A blunt cry of "You are not the leader, so it is not your place to decide what we do!" came from the knight of Sky, who Pit believed to be called Marth. His sudden outburst was pretty frightening, especially considering he'd been super polite whenever Pit had spoken to him.

"We still do need to go," the red-haired one countered. "I mean, she probably has something important to say."

Lucina gave a nod of agreement. "Yes, please tell us where we're to meet her," she requested.

"Follow us," Pit offered. "We've lived here so long we know where even the places we aren't supposed to know about are!"

As Pit turned around and began to dash back into the palace, Shulk following suit, someone cried out "'Lived here'? You two seriously live here?" in shock. "What, are you two related to the president or something?"

The doors to the shining blue-violet halls were pushed open by two Lumas. "It's a job perk," Shulk half-joked. Gasps came from many of the Alchemist Knights, likely in awe of the palace. Pit almost laughed when he remembered how he'd felt the first time he'd set foot in the palace. Of course, it was at night and due to a dare from Viridi, but it had still been amazing.

Pit and Shulk led their guests through the halls until they arrived to Lady Rosalina's quarters, which were marked by a star on the red door. Pit's sharp knocking was met with a call of "Please, come in," and the doors were pushed open by another pair of Lumas.

A groan came from Pit's partner as his eyes scanned the room. It was set with a long table and white cloth, with tea cups and plates of Star Bits and those little tea sandwiches Pit would never understand the purpose of (particularly, why they went to the trouble of cutting the crusts off when most people didn't mind it) on top. "Rosalina, do you really think a tea party is a good idea right now?" Shulk asked begrudgingly, something Pit would never dare to do himself.

Not even the Lumas questioned Shulk's tone, though, considering he'd known the queen so long he might as well have been her son. "Considering it's likely they haven't eaten in quite some time, I thought it would be appreciated," Lady Rosalina explained.

"It's fine," Lucina assured them. "Really, we don't mind!"

"But the attack should be coming soon!" Shulk protested. "We don't have time for formalities!"

The Alchemist Knights had already begun seating themselves at the long table by the time Shulk's objection was voiced. "We will try to keep it brief," Lady Rosalina assured them from the opposite end of the table. "In the mean time, you two haven't eaten yet either, have you?"

This was something Pit had somehow forgotten to do, which sent him barreling towards the table, sitting down two seats from the head of the table and biting into a sandwich viciously. Shulk sat down next to him and absentmindedly ate one of the tea sandwiches.

"So," Lucina began from Pit's right after half of her sandwich had been devoured. "What was it you wanted to talk to us about, Lady Rosalina?"

"I wanted to explain something to you that I think it is important for you to understand," Rosalina stated. "You have fought the Star Eaters on multiple occasions, have you not?"

Across from Pit, the red-haired boy nodded. "Yes, and the Celestial Guardians too."

"Then it has occurred to you that their names seem to make very little sense, correct?" Rosalina prompted.

After a moment of silence, Lucina nodded. "I suppose so. I'd never really thought about it, but 'Star Eaters' sounds like they're trying to destroy stars, while 'Celestial Guardian' sounds like they're trying to protect them. The Luma you sent for me said they're trying to drain stars of their power, but we've only seen them attacking us in particular. Why is that?"

A small sigh escaped the lips of the queen of the cosmos. "I believe that Luma had misunderstood something. The goal of the Star Eaters isn't to eat stars, but cause and feed off of entropy."

"How did it get that confused?" asked a blond boy with a dark cloak around him between bites of a tuna sandwich.

"The Star Eaters are named after what they pursue, but not quite in the way you might think," Rosalina explained. "You see, it all comes back to the cores. Upon their creation, there were only ten, but an eleventh existed in the form of the personal weapon of their creator. Through the years, the exact way this came to be was lost, but it is said that his weapon, which had possessed immense power, split into three different forms. Lucina, Marth, you are both familiar with two of the forms, correct?"

Both looked at their cores in disbelief. "Our cores?" Lucina reiterated. "But where is the third?"

"The energy left over from the split was infused into a powerful weapon that could grant its wielder the ability to see the future," Shulk continued, pulling the Monado off of his back. "In other words, my weapon."

With a nod, Rosalina added "If the three were to be combined, they would become the Star Core, which is what the Star Eaters are after."

"But how would they go about using it?" asked Marth. "I assume Lucina, Shulk, or myself would be able to wield it, but would they attempt to corrupt us as they did Lucas's brother to have control of it?"

"They have no intention to use it," Rosalina explained. "You see, they are only after one specific power of the Star Core: the ability to reset time."

A stunned silence fell across the table. Even Pit was a bit shocked. He'd known about the Star Core, but not what it could do. Shulk was the only one who didn't seem surprised by this, but surely he'd seen it before hand. "What exactly does that mean?" asked the red-haired Alchemist Knight, breaking the silence.

"If the Star core was to be created and then destroyed, the entirety of time and space would undo itself around the existence of the wielder," Rosalina stated. "It wouldn't affect much outside of the user's life, but it could change every event that happened to that person. Every death would have a chance to be averted, every instance of sadness would have the potential to have never happened, and yet there is every chance that more bloodshed and tears would occur in this new timeline. The temporal and special distortion caused by such an act would increase the power of the Star Eaters immensely, and that is what they're after."

"So their end goal is to cause one of the Star Core's possible wielders enough despair that they see resetting the timeline as the only choice left," Shulk continued. "And if that happens enough times, they'd be strong enough to have the entire world at their mercy."

The blond boy looked up, a broken look across his face. "So that's why they're using people important to us as their leaders," he muttered. "To try to upset us enough to make someone undo the timeline."

Rosalina gave a sad nod. "I would think so. The name 'Celestial Guardian' itself seems to come from the fact that they are ensuring the creation and destruction of the Star core with their very existence."

"That's completely horrible," Pit muttered. "But wouldn't it be safest if we destroyed the individual pieces or hid them or something?"

"Even if we destroyed them, the distortions caused by them would likely be more damaging to the world than a reset. Besides, if things ever get too dire for the universe, we need to have that option available," Rosalina admitted.

The blue energy of the Monado seemed to glow brighter in that moment, as did the odd energy coursing through the Time and Sky cores. "A double-edged sword," Marth remarked. "A valuable weapon for either side. I thank you for placing the trust in me to protect something so important."

With a shake of her head, Rosalina seemed to begin to say something, but nothing came out, and her slight frown changed to a smile. "There is no one better suited to the task," she stated, but the words seemed either untrue or lacking something. "Speaking of which, why is it that you are here?"

A small "Oh!" escaped the blue haired boy's mouth as he opened his hand, revealing a brightly glowing core. "This reacted in the presence of one of the Starstorm Knights once before, but we were unsure which. I believe with your explanation and the fact only two are present and it still glows so brightly, there is only one person it could possibly be for."

Pit began to say something to Shulk to congratulate him on being important enough to be both an Alchemist Knight and wielder of a piece of the Star core, but the odd smile his friend gave him stopped him. Turning back to Marth, he saw the core was being extended very definitely to himself. Pit shakily took the glowing pendant in his hand, and a white triangle with a line through its top appeared within the core. He could hardly hear Shulk's exclamation of "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I didn't want to ruin this for you!" over the pounding of his own heart.

* * *

_**AN- Look, I'm not all cruel to Pit! I give him a break sometimes. (Emphasis on sometimes.) But really, the only reason Shulk is an honorable mention Alchemist Knight is because I finalized which characters would be Alchemist Knights before he was revealed for Smash Four. Also, we finally have a valid explanation as to what the crap a Star Eater is or means! That all should explain the prologue, shouldn't it? (No, really, it should. Go back and read it, now, and tell me it doesn't make at least a little sense now.)**_

_**So, chapterly question: One more Alchemist Knight left, who do you lovely people think it is? Only hint is that a pretty big hint was left in one of the earlier chapters. We'll find out within a few chapters, so you don't have long to wait.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	34. Pit

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty Seven- Pit_

A piece of a deadly weapon hung around Lucina's neck. She knew that now, and the indigo pendant seemed to weigh countless times more than it had in previous times. She supposed it could explain why Marth resembled her so greatly, but that didn't quite explain why Shulk looked nothing like either of them. There was nothing that seemed to tie him to the other two pieces, so was there a connection between her and Marth at all? She supposed it didn't matter at the moment, and took another bite of her sandwich. She hadn't realized how hungry she'd been before eating, making her grateful for their host's generosity.

Across the table, she noticed very little of her teammates' actions or words, due to her eyes being drawn to Marth's anxious glances, flitting between herself and the seer. Another question occurred to her as she felt a dark presence barring into her brain. She was glad it did not force its voice from her mouth as it had before. "Lady Rosalina," she asked, obliging Lucas's request. "What you said earlier, did you mean the Celestial Guardians are meant to cause despair in us in particular?"

Nodding, the woman gave a sorrowful smile. "I am afraid so. From what I can gather from Shulk's visions, the Masked Man is meant for Lucas, and Cobalt is meant for Red, so I would assume the rest are meant for particular ones of you as well."

"Do you happen to know who Grima is meant to damage?" Marth suddenly blurted out, turning slightly red and taking a graceful sip of tea as several pairs of eyes turned on him.

Rosalina shook her head. "I fear I do not know. The Observatory has not had to battle Grima, nor have we encountered the sixth member."

Lucina did a quick head count of the ones they had met so far. "Grima, Cobalt, Claus, Circe," she muttered. "Anyone else?"

"We battled Midna," Ike added. "While we were separated, she attacked us and sort of left after she kil- er, never mind." He cut himself off as Marth bore a guilty, absent stare.

"Don't think we've met a Circe yet," Shulk provided. "Unless she was that- Pit, you don't remember meeting Circe, do you?"

It took a moment for the angel to register the words aimed towards him. Though his eyes remained fixed in a hazy stare upon the glowing Air core, he shook his head. "I don't think so," he stated in a distant voice.

Roy suddenly held his head up and looked around the room nervously. "I heard something!" he exclaimed. "Some sort of boom, you don't think-"

The air was pierced by a loud bang and shaken by waves emanating from the same place as the crash. Though Lucina's own heart was launched into a pounding, Rosalina simply sighed "Shame, I was hoping to have a nice afternoon," while Pit and Shulk stood up almost automatically.

"Glad we saw this one coming," muttered the blond seer. "Everyone, outside, they'll be waiting," he ordered.

Pit wrapped the core around his wrist and took a piece of his odd bow in each hand. "Got it," he affirmed with a nod before turning to Lucina. "Er, sorry 'bout this," he apologized. "We're sort of under attack. You don't mind, do you?"

"You say that so casually, as if it happens frequently," Zelda stated with her normal coolness. "I assume that is the case."

The angel gave a few confused blinks before nodding. "Yeah, but we can probably handle it if you guys want to keep eating," he offered.

So danger really had become something they were used to, so much so that people could easily go on with their daily lives as attempts were made to save the lovely place from ruin. It was funny to think about, almost, but no one seemed to be alright with Pit's suggestion. Every one of them, save for Lucas rose from their seats, but even the psychic was caught by the hand by Red and pulled out the door the two Starstorm Knights and queen had made to exit.

Neither Pit not Shulk seemed surprised to see the Alchemist Knights following them, while Rosalina didn't even so much as glance back as she almost floated through the sapphire halls. Without notice, the two Starstorm Knights that had fought alongside them against Grima joined their number, the masked knight gliding along effortlessly and pink puffball hopping energetically beside them.

Great doors were opened by creatures that reminded Lucina with a sharp pang of the one who had given its life to save her own. She gave them a sad smile as she passed, wondering if perhaps she had been the cause of the death of someone dear to them. They gave no recognition towards her, naturally, considering they would have had no way to know what she looked like even if the first casualty she'd seen in this war had been one that hurt them.

Shaking the painful memories out of her head and looking towards the pitch-black sky, she saw scattered shots filling the air. A blonde ponytailed woman shot some sort of blast of energy towards a hovering violet creature and turned towards the group. Her eyes passed over Pit, causing her scowl to turn into a slight smirk. "Hey, kid," she greeted. "Come to help us again?"

Pit turned a deep red and held up the cyan core towards the woman. "See," he boasted with a wry grin. "I'm not as 'incompetent' as you thought!"

The woman gave an approving nod. "Alchemist Knight," she remarked. "Never thought you'd be one. I think Palutena would be proud, don't you?"

Though Lucina had no clue who this "Palutena" was, Pit looked away at the mention of the name. "Y-yeah," he muttered. "Pr-probably."

Confusion must have settled on her face, as Shulk gave her a quick glance and approached her, matching her pace as she walked. "You're their leader, right?" he asked. She gave a slight nod, as that was what Roy seemed to think she was. "Well, I guess I should explain the Palutena thing to someone if Pit's going to join you," he mused.

"Please do," Lucina requested, following the rest of the group as they seemed to start walking towards the source of the blasts. Shulk walked alongside her, and considering he didn't seem alarmed by the situation, Lucina didn't see anything wrong with having a conversation in the chaos.

"Palutena, she was a friend of Pit's," he explained in a whisper. "About three years ago, she, Pit, and another friend of theirs got attacked by some invading creatures. Their friend was alright, but Pit lost most of his ability to fly and Palutena went into a coma. Pit joined the Starstorm Knights after that, and she died a few months later."

Something in his voice made her feel as if she wasn't being told the whole of it, but she still gave an understanding nod. "Pit must be a lot stronger than I thought," she mused. "To keep smiling after all of that, it's something I'm not sure I could do."

"You would do it if it made the people you care about feel reassured," Shulk remarked cryptically, clearing his throat afterwards. "Er, I mean, I would think anyone would."

She was quite sure his odd words meant that the seer had seen something about her future, but she didn't dare ask any further. "I suppose so," she agreed.

Though it seemed he was going to say something else, the words became lost in the breath-catching crossfire. The shots from black-clothed soldiers with star insignias on their uniforms were as colorful as any of the Alchemist Knights' own attacks, streaking the sky in a deadly prism. If it had been any other time, she would have been taken with the beauty of it, but the middle of a battlefield wasn't the place to observe a light show.

A strangled gasp came from someone, likely Peach, considering she was the one to start rushing towards a burst of energy in the distance. Pit noticed this and pulled her back. "Wait, don't go over there," warned the angel. "That's-"

The Knight of Plant didn't halt, and Lucina strained her eyes to see what it was she was pursuing. A black-green figure stood in a fight against several of the black-clad soldiers. Something seemed familiar about its stature, but it didn't quite click into place until he shot a stream of green fire at one of the soldiers. The figure seemed to turn towards them, and familiar eyes peeked behind a black mask. It was almost certainly Luigi.

Guilt pulled her to follow Peach, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Circe must have turned him against us," Roy warned. "Ike, try to get close to him and use Pyre. We'll back you up."

"Got it!" the Knight of Fire exclaimed, beginning to run towards the man.

Only a call of "That wouldn't work," from Rosalina was able to stop them. "That is Mr. L, one of the Celestial Guardians. The darkness holding onto their heart is too great to expel with a purity spell alone."

Lucina supposed she knew which seed of despair was meant for her now. A constant reminder of her inability to save people with her powers, it was fitting. No, it couldn't have been for her, nagged some voice in her brain. Peach's numbly stunned face made that sure. "We need to at least try to go after him," Peach begged. "Please, it's my fault he's here."

"We should send a team to pursue a Celestial Guardian," Rosalina agreed. "Knight of Plant, might you lead it?"

Peach gave a nod. "Of course. Would anyone else like to accompany me?" she requested as she started towards the Celestial Guardian. Lucina started to follow the pink-clad woman, but something stopped her. More specifically, a sharp inhale and flash of blue coming from the seer standing beside her made her stop.

"Lucina, there's another attack coming," Shulk told in a half-dazed voice after the glow had cleared from his eyes. "You, Pit, Lucas, you need to go handle it."

"Why us in particular?" she asked as the other Alchemist Knights started to leave.

With a shake of his head, he muttered "No time to explain, just trust me," and turned to Pit and Rosalina. "There's another wave coming in the back. Pit, go take care of it."

Not a hint of hesitation crossed the angel's face as he rushed off to the right. Lucina followed him, catching Lucas by the arm. "We need you as well," she explained to the struggling psychic. He only groaned, giving no hint of care about the attack.

As the three of them veered around a corner, a dark arrow shot towards them. Lucina's breath caught in her throat as she saw its sender: a young angel that resembled Pit almost eerily, only differing with his darker color scheme and blood red eyes.

* * *

_**AN- A bit short, sorry. I'm working on a bonus chapter that will come up after this arc, and it's three thousand words already, though I'm only about halfway done. But hey, Dark Pit! Also, I don't think the point where I can say this in the story will come, so I'm just going to go ahead and tell you, the woman Pit was talking to was Samus, as compensation for those of you who wanted to see her **_

_**So, chapterly question remains the same. Try to guess the last Alchemist Knight if you can. **_

_**Thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	35. Dark Pit

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty Eight- Dark Pit_

Red eyes settled on Lucina. They were empty, filled with longing. The boy who looked so much like Pit fired another shot, looking entirely like he would rather have done anything else. If it wasn't for the fact that he was actively trying to kill them, Lucina would have felt sorry for him.

Dodging it nimbly, Lucas, who Lucina only just realized had somehow activated his core without her notice, tried to lock eyes with the black-clad angel. He replied by firing another arrow-like round from his odd staff.

"Hey!" Pit called out. "You, why do you look like me?"

His eyes scanned the Knight of Air. "Really?" he retorted sharply, beginning to charge at Pit, his staff in hand. "You look like some little kid."

"You're not answering my question!" Pit shouted in indignation as he dodged the dark-winged angel's blow. "Yeah, maybe I look a little younger, but so do you!"

It was half-true, in Lucina's eyes. His body might have looked to be that of a young boy, but some distant gaze in his eyes made him seem ancient. If it wasn't for the black clothing and wings, he'd look almost exactly as Lucina had pictured angels in her head would look.

He scoffed. "You're probably just copying me," he taunted, firing a few rounds at Lucina, who blocked them with the side of her blade. "Pit, isn't it?"

"You know me?" Pit exclaimed in disbelief, before letting out a snort of laughter. "Bet they warned you all about the awesome and powerful Pit and his super awesome greatness!"

Casting an odd glance to the sky, the dark-clad boy fired another few shots, with the air of someone who couldn't care less about their activity. "Please just stop," he begged. "You're more annoying than I'd expected."

Opening his mouth as to say something else, Pit quickly closed it.

Lucina was starting to suspect something was awry with their "foe". He seemed not to care for the battle at all, nor make any conscious attempts to wound them. Was he as perplexed by his resemblance to Pit as they were? With almost a mental shrug, Lucina rushed over to the ruby-eyes boy and began to question him. "So, might you give us your name?"

They were met with silence, in which Lucina decided to fill the gaps. "Okay, guess not. Let's see, you sort of look like Pit, but you wear all black. So, how about 'Dark Pit'?"

"Dark Pit" chuckled. "Seriously?" he chided. "That's the best you've got?"

"If you don't like that, we could call you 'Pittoo'!", suggested Pit. Lucina groaned a bit. "Okay, maybe not that?"

Having seemingly given up all attempts to attack them, "Dark Pit" muttered "Can't I be up against losers with a bit of creativity? You," He pointed at Lucas, the only person that cared about the battle even less than he did. "Have any better ideas?"

A moment passed, in which Lucas's eyes took on that dazed appearance they'd had in the battle against Cobalt. "Spirit of the Light-" he began to mutter.

"Th-that's stupid!", interrupted "Dark Pit" with great enthusiasm. "Just come up with something better, please! I can't be stuck with a stupid name like 'Pittoo'!"

The vague muttering, Lucas had read "Dark Pit's" mind, hadn't he? As the dark-winged angel took a few steps back and aimed his staff at Pit once more, Lucina tried to catch Lucas's eye. The odd static that came with the presence of another in your mind filled her ears. "Try to read Dark Pit's mind!" Lucina thought forcefully at the psychic. "I think there's something weird going on with him, and I want to know what! I'll cover for you, if I need to."

A minute nod came from the blond as the static vanished. Locking eyes once more with "Dark Pit", Lucas began to mutter an odd stream of words.

* * *

Rushing towards the shade of her former friend, Peach felt adrenaline pumping through her veins. It was painful to think her friend had become the enemy, but there was a strange part of her that liked how things were turning out. All those years spent being the trophy, there were over, for she had finally gotten her chance to be the hero. Brandishing the only weapon she'd ever gotten to learn to use, she smacked an odd pink fly out of the way as it charged through her path.

Nearing Luigi's black-clad form, Peach called out to him. "Luigi!" she cried. "Why are you siding with them? You do recall they attacked us and Mario, right?"

Clouded blue eyes set on her, turning to a cocky glare. "Hello, Alchemist Knights!" he greeted with a smirk. "Just in time to watch your world be brought to its knees by the great Mr. L."

The cockiness, that was new. Luigi had been terrified of nearly everything, and rarely so rude. Peach didn't care so much for this new version of his personality: she'd been quite accustomed to the previous form. One of his green fireballs shot at her, which she deflected with her frying pan.

With a cry of "Vines!" Peach summoned several coils of vine to entangle her former friend. Another fireball burnt them away. Alright, other attacks, what were they, she thought before realizing that was the only one she knew of. With a sigh, she realized perhaps she wasn't the hero after all.

Behind her, white flames shot like dancing ribbons through the air, towards "Mr. L". They seemed to affect him less than a jump would hurt an out-of-range Paratroopa. "Such petty attacks won't phase me!" he gloated. "Ms. Getskidnappedallthetime, Mr. Fireisbluenowforsomereason, gaze upon true power!"

A snap from Mr. L triggered the appearance of an enormous, hovering metallic rendition of Luigi's head, which he quite literally jumped into and began to hover above them. Peach sighed. This was getting ridiculous very quickly. However, judging from the astonished gape of a blond boy she hadn't noticed was standing next to her, perhaps it wasn't as ridiculous as it seemed.

* * *

_I don't want to hurt them. I just want to feel air for once in my life…_

_It's cold, isn't it? That's nice… They didn't have cold in there…_

_The one thing I always wanted was to feel the air. I won't get even that, though, will I?_

_That stupid place was always so stuffy, but if I even so much as asked to step outside, I'd be dead…_

_Of all the people to take the form of, why that kid? He was such an idiot before, so why would he be here now?_

_Air… Knight of Air… Core of Air… Cause of despair… It's all connected, right?_

_Just let me feel cold. Or better yet, let me feel nothing again…_

_It was so much nicer to not have to worry about a body. Things like pain and hunger, they seem so trivial…_

A short image infiltrated the stream of thoughts: a young girl with a long blonde ponytail sitting beside a brown-haired boy with wings. They were eating something, laughing. "_Happiness_", that was the feeling this memory conjured up.

Another memory, this one stronger appeared. The entire world was a white haze, with nothing piercing it. A voice called "Alright, time for a show! Light!", and the world turned to a blurry image of a battle against a boy with long red hair wearing an all too familiar mask. "_Purpose_", this was his "purpose".

_My old charge… The others said I ought to call her "Master". That seemed to be a bit much._

_The other girl, if I speak her name, I'll be heard. But she… I need to protect…_

_Stupid memories, why would someone think putting memories and a body to a spirit is a good idea?_

_Wind, air, that's what I want to feel. As soon as I feel that, just let me be swallowed back into the core!_

One more memory, of Midna and a hooded man appeared. A chuckle came from the former: "_Ah, but if you don't help us, we'd be glad to kill you instead. And then, the Light core wouldn't shine again! But so be it, if you want to spell the end of your master._"

"_She is not my master!_" called out a voice, his own, most likely. "_I serve no one, least of all you!_"

"_Might I remind you that your own failure led to the death of the first one?_" gloated the latter of the two Celestial Knights. "_Dawn, wasn't it? When she needed you most, you couldn't sustain her wish. Circe will need you as well, to assure she doesn't slip._"

A protest came from his lips. "_Her name is-_"

Lucas was thrown backwards, his mental link broken. "That's all you need to see," warned "Dark Pit". "And you know what? I don't care if they know I told you this."

"Who are you?" Pit asked.

"Dark Pit" gave a haughty glare. "Too dumb to figure it out?"

"Alchemist Spirit," Lucina muttered. "The Alchemist Spirit of Light. You allow the Light core's wielder to use it, right?"

He gave a nod.

* * *

"Looks like Luigi's got an overinflated ego," someone deadpanned from behind Peach.

A chuckle followed it up. "You could even say he has a big head!"

Peach smiled. It was always nice to see smiles in darkness. She grappled for some pun to add to the conversation, but was cut off by a hiss from the blond. "Stop joking around!" he cried, a terrified fervor lighting his words. "That thing's the Brobot, Mr. L's ultimate weapon. It's really dangerous and-"

"I'm sorry, I can't take something called a 'Brobot' seriously," apologized a black-haired boy, who was standing rather near her.

A voice came from somewhere below Peach. Looking around in confusion, the source she located was the masked blue knight that had joined them at some point. "It is an aerial fight," he mused. "Kirby and I will handle this."

Bat-like wings burst from his cape as he soared up towards the strange mech. The pink puff also took flight, flapping through the sky as air inflated his body. The blond boy let out a small cry of defiance. "No, Meta Knight, wait!", he called to his teammates, desperation filling his voice. "I- you can't fight him! Not now! I saw this before, it- you-"

"Shulk, remember what you see can be changed," Meta Knight called back. "You alone have the power to do that."

"Please, just leave now," the blond begged. No response came from the two, as they had begun to pursuit the Brobot. Meta Knight's sword clashed against the metal, seemingly not doing a thing, and the pink puff pounded away with a mallet. It seemed to be a losing battle, but she wasn't sure what he was so scared of. He could see the future, perhaps he foresaw something going horribly wrong?

"Mr. L's" laughs filled the air. "That's the best you've got?", he mocked. "Get a load of my power!"

Volleys of missiles and green lasers fired at the two. Most hit off of some force field effortlessly, a few being slashed away by Meta Knight. "Kirby, stand down!", he ordered. "I can handle this!"

"N-no! You can't!" Shulk cried as Meta Knight continued to dodge the fire. Turning to Peach and placing a hand on her shoulder, he started to bark some strained orders. "Use your Vines, pull him out of there, please!"

All the fear and desperation flashing in his eyes, it was enough to make Peach forget any ideas that this fight was harmless she had held before. With a nod, she turned towards the winged knight and cried "Vines!", the coils of ivy pouring from the ground and shooting at Meta Knight like arrows.

He slashed them away. "I am capable of winning this fight, you need not fear for me," he declared. The mask hid it, but Peach was sure a smirk laid behind the armor. Dashing towards the Brobot, Meta Knight spun, creating some sort of sword drill that clanked against the metal. It was dented. Perhaps this fight wasn't completely one-sided after all.

Maneuvering towards the glass "Mr. L" sat behind, Meta Knight continued to charge at the mech. Doing a loop over his head, he seemed to reach the cockpit, primed for a final blow. She almost believed he would win, too. A blue flash and strained gasp from Shulk said otherwise. "I-it won't change," he muttered, completely disconnected from what was happening. "The future is the same."

Before she could figure out what he meant, a loud laugh could be heard from "Mr. L". Several of his lasers and missiles suddenly rushed from the device, hitting Meta Knight head-on. The impact of the force, the way his broken body fell downwards, it explained Shulk's desperation perfectly.

She had bore witness to Meta Knight's death.

* * *

_**AN- Yes, I know I just killed Meta Knight, but hey, the title finally makes sense now. Er, let's add cheerfulness to this to make us feel better about our lives! Really, though, Meta Knight and Kirby take on Mr. L from Super Paper Mario while Shulk looks on in horror, Peach in confusion, and Ike, Red, and Ness laugh at the absurdity of it all. Meanwhile, Dark Pit has absolutely no intention to fight Lucina, Pit, and Lucas because he's a non-physical entity who still guilty about Dawn from Pokémon's death. When you phrase it that way, it doesn't sound so bad, does it?**_

_**Anyways, chapterly question: this is last call for guesses for the last Alchemist Knight. It should be clear enough by this point who it is, but just in case, it will be actually revealed next chapter.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik**_


	36. Viridi

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Twenty Nine- Viridi_

Ever since Shulk first took the Monado in his hands, he'd been seeing the very scene unfolding in front of him constantly. Mr. L's machine's onslaught running straight through the body of his mentor, it was a scene that would never stop replaying in front of his eyes. It was always one of the worst things to see, something he desperately wanted to avoid. He should have known it was inevitable when that awful machine showed up, but he clung onto some desperate hope and cried out to Meta Knight, trying to warn him.

If he had just kept his mouth shut, perhaps he could have prevented it, but Meta Knight knew just as well as Shulk did that the battle was to be his last. If Shulk hadn't reminded him of that, perhaps he wouldn't have made a desperate attempt to change his fate, to show Shulk the future could be changed.

It couldn't, the vision had come true, nothing would change. Even after Meta Knight's limp body fell to the ground, the scene was burned into Shulk's eyes. It was just as he'd seen it so many times before, and it would stay that way for the rest of time. With foresight he was supposed to be able to avoid such awful fates, but instead, trying to change the future had caused it. Such a cruel twist of fate, but he supposed that was fitting. Like Rosalina had told the rest earlier, he was as much a weapon of the Star Eaters as he was Rosalina's. A weapon, not a person, he hated that designation more than words could say. His powers, that's what they made him.

Still, it was Shulk the living, breathing, thinking entity who blinked the tears out of his eyes and drew that cursed blade, dashing after the monster that had killed the closest thing he'd ever known to a father, spitting venom he barely knew was coming from his mouth at the Celestial Guardian. Yes, it was foolish to go after an enemy he knew he couldn't beat, but it was human instinct, something a weapon did not possess. Vaguely, he noted the other Knights and soldiers of Rosalina's joining him in his bid for revenge, but only Kirby, who had thought much the same of Meta Knight as he had made an impression in his mind.

Shots, not his own, but shots all the same fired at Mr. L. The girl who had reacted to his presence, the girl that Guardian was meant to torment, she lashed out vines at her former friend. They did little, but it seemed to be the only attack she knew to use. Calling out to her, he suggested an alternative "Try 'Petals'!", and she nodded, sending a bloody floral blast at the machine. The petals covered the glass which Mr. L sat behind, a distressed cry coming from the Guardian.

Attacks fired from the machine haphazardly, not hitting much besides buildings or the artificial sky. In this state, he was easy to take down, but not helpless. A cry of "I shall retreat for now, but be warned!" came from the Guardian before his machine vanished into nothing: his last defense. Of course, not even he would be foolish enough to stay behind when running such a risk of being overwhelmed.

Noting a few relieved sighs, Shulk shook his head. He'd seen that day many times before, enough to know more was coming. He readied his blade, turning towards the place he vaguely recalled seeing the next wave of foes spawn before.

A pool of violet light heralded the arrival of another Celestial Guardian, the same he had faced with the Alchemist Knights a week earlier. Grima bore a smug grin that noticeably faltered upon meeting Shulk's eyes. Shulk wasn't surprised: other things he'd seen of Grima crossing his path did seem to imply there was some familiarity between them, but he hadn't quite managed to see what the connection was yet. Other Star Eaters spawned from the portal as well. The creatures they'd swayed to their side, the people who had followed them, all of them bearing arms. This was to be a large battle, but it would end quickly, without much more bloodshed.

Another figure emerged from the portal, one Shulk knew he'd see there, but not necessarily on the enemy's side. A small girl with a blonde ponytail, a girl Pit had once known. The memory of her name came back to him now as he met her eyes.

"Viridi!" he cried. "Why would you take their side?"

The young plant mage smirked. "Haven't you seen that already, Star Seer?" she taunted before throwing a thorny shot his way.

* * *

Alchemist Spirit. Lucina had heard the term before, but she never gave it much thought. The way Pit had described it made it seem as if they were some sort of pass key that allowed them to unlock the cores' powers. The dark-winged boy standing in front of her, he was the last thing she would think to call a pass key. Drawing breath, showing pain in his eyes, he was certainly alive, at very least. Those memories Lucas had recited, they were very real. Not entirely legible, but most definitely real.

"The Knight of Light," Lucina called out. "Do you know who that is?"

Dark Pit took a step towards her. "Pull it out," he demanded. She barely had registered the meaning of his words when she found her fingers wrapping around the white core in her pocket and taking it out. Its creamy surface wasn't reacting, simply churning like fog.

"She's not here yet," he mused, his scarlet eyes flicking over the white stone. "But she will be soon enough. Until then," Once more, his staff was fixed upon Lucina's heart. "Run," he ordered in a whisper.

Swatting the staff away with the edge of her blade, Lucina shook her head. "We're on the same side, are we not?" she began.

"It's all in the name of self preservation," he muttered, trying to push his weapon up from its place pinned to the ground. "If I were to be killed in this flimsy body, the Light core would be useless. They'll kill me if they catch me trying to spare you, so it's in your best interest to pretend we're enemies until she comes, alright?"

Pit's voice called from behind her shoulder. "No way!" he cried. "You're one of our allies, and we won't let you be controlled by them! If anyone tries to hurt you, we'll take them on."

Extending his hand to the boy that looked so very like him, Pit grinned. "Besides, if we look the same, we must be connected somehow, right? And even if we aren't, I'm sure it must mean something. Come on, we'll take down those Star Eaters and you'll be safe, okay?"

A fleeting look of complete shock flew across Dark Pit's face, but it was quickly buried by a glare as he slapped the angel's hand away. "I don't need your pity," he hissed. "I don't need anyone's pity, and you won't want to give it to me when you see who I'm working under."

Lucina was completely lost by this point, but a glance between Dark Pit and Lucas showed her that she was simply out of the loop. The garbled memories, not everything had come out, had it? Lucas's eyes met Pit's, and a dull look of shock crossed his face. He mouthed something as his eyes drifted out of focus: "Palutena".

* * *

Viridi, she was working with the enemies. Shulk couldn't quite understand her motives for doing such a thing. Blocking her shots, he tried to meet her eyes. "You really don't care for loyalty, do you?" Shulk questioned.

"What has this place done for me?" she countered as she drove her staff into the ground. Vines shot up from where it was planted and soared towards Observatory soldiers. They disintegrated easily with very few shots to them, but the look on her face implied that was the point. "I'm not cut out to live in the skies anymore than a bird would be in the water," she remarked. "If I had stayed here, I wouldn't have ever been able to even scratch the surface of my own power."

That made logical sense, he supposed, at least as to why she might want to leave the Observatory, but not as to why she might try to attack it. "That doesn't explain why you'd attack us," he added, charging towards her, the blue light blade extending from his sword. Something coiled around his foot, making him unable to move.

"This place deserves to be brought down!" Viridi cried. "No one here is anything more than a walking defense force! You of all people should know that."

Cutting the coil of grass away from his foot, Shulk continued to rush towards her. "If we weren't, we'd all be dead," he protested.

A smug grin crossed her face. "Rosalina could easily just stop wandering around and find somewhere we could live safely," she countered. "You all are just too dull to notice she's the one putting you in danger."

He wished he could brush off her words, but he knew the truth in them. These were things he'd asked Rosalina many times before, things she told him he might come to understand when he was older. He was plenty old now, but he still couldn't see reason in this world, save for the purpose of combating the Star Eaters. That was his best defense: "We wouldn't have to fight if it wasn't for the Star Eaters. If you really wanted to escape this life, why join them? The only difference it makes is that it'd break Pit's heart to see you fighting against us like this. Is that why, because you want to make him pay for what happened to Palutena?"

"Idiot, can't you see I'm doing this for Pit?" she snarled, more arrows of thorns hurdling towards him. "Palutena, she's why I'm fighting with them in the first place, because she asked me to!"

* * *

The memories flowing into Pit's mind, they were ones he recognized from his youth, but not from his own eyes. The memories of himself, Viridi, and Palutena, his dead friend was nowhere to be seen in them. Instead, he was able to see himself clearly, matching up with what he recalled from his own memories. He felt words escape his lips in the trance-like state, but nothing quite registered until the odd connection cut out.

"Those memories were yours?" Pit exclaimed in disbelief, meeting the eyes of Dark Pit. "But they looked like-"

"Palutena's," he finished. "That's because they are."

"H-how would you have her memories?" he cried. "She's dead!"

His darker mirror sighed. "Celestial Guardians are powerful. They can easily make disappearance look like death, corpse and all."

"Celestial Guardian", "Light Spirit", "Knight of Light", the words echoed in his head, willing him to figure something out, but they were interrupted by a voice from behind him, a voice he'd never dreamed he'd hear again.

"Associating with the enemy, are you?" Palutena's voice questioned. "Servant, that is punishable by execution, as I know you have been told."

The words barely registered in Pit's mind. Palutena's voice, how was that possible? Without thought, he whirred around to face the voice, but inhaled sharply in shock upon seeing her. A golden mask covered her face, but it was unmistakably Palutena. Still alive, not a corpse, Pit hadn't caused the death of his best friend after all, had he?

"Circe!" Lucina suddenly cried out. "He's under our protection now, we won't allow you to harm hi-"

The Knight of Time's eyes flitted to the white core in her hand, which shone with light. The gasp that escaped her made things click into place for Pit. Dark Pit served the Knight of Light, one of the Celestial Guardians, and was made from memories, those of Palutena's to be exact. It seemed glaringly obvious now: Palutena was not only alive, but one of the Alchemist Knights, and also a Celestial Guardian.

Pit would have been thrilled to hear all this if it wasn't for that last part.

* * *

_**AN- Yeah, totally didn't see that coming. If you were paying attention, you might have noticed the Light core was activated the first time Circe/Palutena showed up, but considering Peach's core was also activated, no one else noticed it. Either way, they're all revealed now, yay! Now we can move on to overcoming that tiny little issue about Palutena being corrupted…**_

_**So, chapterly question: after the next chapter, I'm going to be putting out a bunch of Gaidens. Who's do you people want to see? I've only planned three so far, but I'd like to have at least five, if not more out before the second half of the story comes around (yes, the first half will be over next chapter), so give suggestions as to who's you'd like to see. Just a head's up, though, they won't be Lucina's, Ike's, or Marth's. They've got something special planned…**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	37. Palutena

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty- Palutena_

"Palutena!" Pit called out, despite knowing fully well it was useless. She was a Celestial Guardian, she was the enemy, and yet, she was Palutena. She was the friend he had been too weak to save, standing before him. Without any indication of recognition behind her mask, she raised the blue staff she was carrying and a fiery shot came from it.

Malice filled her voice, but it was still hers. "Starstorm Knight," she chuckled coldly. "I see great sorrow in you." A broken smile spread across her face, the kind that crossed someone's face before they dropped an axe on their prey. "Make that sorrow surface, show your tears to the only person who cares about you, show him this world is one that cannot be salvaged!"

Dark energy pulsed around him. He felt faint, as if the ground below him would give out at any moment. A horrible pain filled his chest and Palutena seemed to grow more distant. She really was dead, wasn't she? He hadn't just killed her, he'd allowed her to become a monster. It was his own fault she was lost. Palutena, if she still existed, she'd hate him for giving her that fate. Viridi, his other best friend, she hated him. He was inept at the job he'd been given, often being more of a liability than help. Rosalina only cared for him out of pity. Meta Knight never cared about him. Kirby was too young to know how worthless he was. Even Shulk, he probably didn't care either. Someone as powerful and smart as he was, Pit was a fool if he thought someone like that would ever care about him. And the core wrapped around his hand, it was surely a mistake. Pit, he was a mistake himself.

Tears ran down his face, burning in his eyes. He was truly a pitiful excuse for an angel, unable to protect anyone at all. The pain in his chest grew deeper, a fiery knife twisting its way into him. Worthless, silly Pit, he was a waste of space and a liability. The knife cut into his heart, burning, and he heard a weeping cry escape his mouth.

A light hand suddenly rested on his shoulder. Lucina's voice echoed behind him, piercing through the darkness around him. "I know it must be hard to see your friend like this, but I promise, we'll save her, no matter what it takes!" she vowed.

Palutena came back into focus, as did the dark stream of energy coming from her staff. Pit's mind woke up. Those awful thoughts, they weren't truly his, were they? He'd never think his friends didn't care about him, it was impossible to think that way about people who had fought on his side, protecting him and helping him on countless occasions. The tears burned a bit less, the pain lightened.

A grunt of annoyance came from Palutena, who took a step forwards and jabbed her staff towards Pit. The pain returned, stronger than ever. Who was he kidding, his brain seemed to scream in a voice much like this broken Palutena's, he was completely worthless. What light was there left in a world where he had to fight against her? If he were to join her, who would even care? It wasn't as if he was anything more than a liability to Shulk. Running a blade through him, surely not even that would hurt him…

Another part of his brain cried out, a different voice that sounded vaguely familiar. "Shut up, of course that isn't true!", it insisted. "It's not completely hopeless, there's surely a way to save her, and even if there isn't, the Alchemist Knights need you! I saw it myself, Shulk really does care about you a lot. You're practically the only thing that keeps him sane, so get a hold of yourself, Pit!"

The pain in his chest ebbed away as a loud cry came from Dark Pit, who rushed at Palutena and shot a blast from his staff at the golden mask covering her face. A scream of pain came from Palutena, just as it had when that Aurum had attacked her. She held the broken remnants of the mask to her face with one hand, and used the other to point her blue-tipped staff at Dark Pit. "Y-you…", she muttered. "I trusted you!" Her voice turned to a roar, and her other hand grasped the staff, causing the mask to fall from her face. She looked just the same after all this time, barely a day of the three years that had passed since he last saw it showed, save for the bloody gash on her cheek where the broken mask had seemingly cut her.

An odd smirk crossed the dark-winged boy's face. "You said this merited the death penalty," he chuckled, as if daring her to strike. "So go ahead, kill what separates you from your mind, Palutena."

A barrage of flaming shots struck Dark Pit, and he stumbled backwards. As he collapsed, Lucina rushed towards Palutena, striking her staff with her blade.

"N-now," Dark Pit coughed out in a strained voice, unfocused eyes trying to hold contact with Pit's. "Try to get through to her. Should be easier with me gone."

Pit ran for the collapsed angel, grabbing his hand. He was bleeding a bit where Palutena had struck him, and his face seemed pale, but he wasn't quite dead yet. "We're not going to let you die!" he vowed, though he wasn't sure how he'd enact that claim. "Lucina, try stopping time, maybe that'll-"

Dark Pit gave a weak shake of his head. "Don't bother. The Light core won't do anything with me gone, but you should be able to save her with one of the other purity spells. Just try to protect her, okay?" He closed his eyes, as if resigning to death.

"Come on, there's got to be another way!", Pit cried. Though he barely knew him, Dark Pit cared about Palutena too, and he hadn't done a thing to deserve death.

Lucina cried "Freeze!", and an odd quiet set over the area. The bleeding seemed to slow, but it didn't affect Dark Pit's slight fidgeting. Palutena also seemed unaffected by it, and continued to battle Lucina. The Knight of Time tossed the Light core towards the two angels, shouting "The Light core has a healing spell, maybe since it's yours you can activate it."

Eyes fluttering open, Dark Pit shook his head. "No, this is the only way to stop them from getting stronger," he insisted. "Palutena can't be saved any other way, and therefore Pit can't be either. I'm not huge on dying, and I don't really care what happens to you, but if it saves the world, it has to happen."

* * *

The girl with the rose staff was eagerly engaging Shulk in combat. Peach heard the things she said, it was clear this "Pit" was important to both of them. Pit, that was the name of the angel she'd met, wasn't it? The one that had almost seemed to be Shulk's younger brother, judging by the way they interacted. Unless the blond was hiding wings under the red vest he wore, it likely wasn't biologically the case, but the bond was certainly present.

She could hear their conversation continuing, Shulk asking how someone named Palutena could have possibly asked her to join the Star Eaters. The girl's reply, however, caught Peach's attention, though for a different reason than it did Shulk.

"Well, she calls herself Circe now, and she doesn't remember me, but it's definitely her! I don't know how, so I joined her to figure it out. Surely you can understand that?", she explained.

"Circe?" This Palutena, she'd been the one to take Luigi, then, and the rose girl was working with her. Shulk gave a hollow stare before smiling, for some odd reason. "So that's why I saw her," he mused. "One more mystery solved. We can help her, if you stop attacking us."

The rose girl looked annoyed. "I might have come for Palutena, but I stayed because I agree with them! Rosalina is an awful leader and she needs to be brought down, even if it hurts people in the process."

"I didn't want to fight you," Shulk muttered. "But it looks like we don't have a choice. Peach, help me out here!"

Wondering vaguely when she'd told him her name, Peach turned towards the rose girl and called out "Petals!", sending a pink blast her way. A wave of her staff easily dispelled them, and she gave an odd smirk.

A violet glow came from Shulk's blade as he rushed towards the rose staff girl. Narrowly, she avoided his blows before calling a massive spear of vines from the ground and sending it towards him. Only quick thinking and Peach's call of "Vines!" was able to stop it from soaring through his body, as she was able to redirect the spear and take control of it. That girl was definitely aiming to kill, Peach saw that clearly. She hated to hurt someone, but if she didn't push back at the vines, it would surely run through someone else.

The vines struggled against Peach's control, trying to veer towards a group of nearby fighters. She couldn't dispel them, but perhaps if she was able to break that staff, she could break the other girl's hold on them. She tried to focus the spear on the staff, tried not to hit the girl, but a bright blast soared past her head, breaking her concentration. Before she knew what had happened, the vines disappeared and the rose staff girl fell to the ground, a scarlet pool oozing from her body. She couldn't bear to look at the wounds for too long, but they looked lethal.

Horror filled Peach's entire being. What had she done?

* * *

As the scarlet eyes lightly closed once more, Pit tightened his grip on Dark Pit's hand. The core around his own made contact with the dark angel's hand and suddenly started to pulsate with a cyan glow. Something occurred to Pit: he'd never known how they were connected. Somehow, they must have been. Did he just take the shape of someone important in Palutena's memory, corrupted by the dark magic that conjured him? If so, would that make him able to use Pit's own powers? A silly idea popped in his mind, one that was so utterly idiotic it might just work. "Try calling out 'Air' with me," Pit ordered. "If we're the same, maybe it'll help somehow. Count of three, okay?"

Dark Pit shook his head, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"One."

The clanking of metal rang out as Lucina's blade struck Palutena's staff. "Why would you save him?" Palutena suddenly asked. "If he truly is some key to stopping me as you claim him to be, wouldn't it be better to just let him die?"

"Two."

"There has to be a better way to save you than to let an innocent die!" Lucina answered forcefully, punctuated by another blow.

"Three!" Pit called out. "Now, Air!"

Dark Pit repeated the word, though the voice saying it seemed disconnected and lifeless.

A soft light enveloped the two. Pit felt light and a bit dizzy, as if his body and soul were floating away from each other. Fog seemed to cover the world, and he vaguely wondered if that was what was supposed to happen.

The fog was penetrated by a thousand balls of light. If he strained his eyes, he could see each was in fact a person. Lucina, Palutena, the blond boy, they each lay lifeless in front of him. Further out, he could feel others, but they were too distant to make out. "What is this?" he asked aloud, not understanding what was in front of him.

"The Air core isn't like the rest of them," Dark Pit explained, seeming to almost appear beside him. "It allows you to reach out to people's spirits. If you wanted to, you could hop in someone else's body, or pull someone else into yours. It has a few attacks, but this is the only useful thing it really does."

"'Pull someone else into my body?'", he repeated. "Then how 'bout you share my body?"

A sigh answered him. "I'd rather just die, thanks."

"There must be something I can do," Pit muttered. "Can you tell me how, exactly this weird connection to Palutena works?"

"This body was constructed from her memories as a way to keep them from returning, allowing her to become a Celestial Guardian without fear of her turning on them," he told. "It looks like a messed up version of you because so many of her memories were about you."

Though he really didn't have much of a body to do it with, Pit smiled. Palutena still cared about him, after all that time. Even after he'd gotten her killed, he was still important to her. If he have had eyes at the moment, he was sure they'd be tearing up. "There's a bond between you and Palutena, so maybe we can change that bond into one between us," he muttered, unsure of where the words were coming from. Something flashed at the word "bond", was that the key? He repeated the word, putting all of his heart into it. Something told him that it was the key to saving Dark Pit.

The fog vanished with a start, and Pit felt something surrounding him: his own body. Dark Pit stared at him in disbelief. "You seriously just did that?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Why, what did I do?"

A single glance at his darker copy told him that whatever it had been, it had worked. The wounds were all but nonexistent, only the singed tear in his tunic and vague remnants of blood staining it indicating they had ever been there. "You tied this body and part of my spirit to yourself. That spell usually doesn't work like that, but I guess since part of me is already bound to Palutena, it split the difference and left this part of me in here."

"Does that mean the block is gone?" Pit questioned. "I mean, if your body is part of me and not Palutena-"

He was cut off by a pained groan from the green-haired girl. She'd dropped her staff and was holding her head, like she used to do whenever a headache struck her. "Wh-what is this?" she questioned. "I-I don't understand. Who are these people?"

Pushing off of the ground quickly, Pit dashed to his friend's side. "Palutena," he called softly. "Can you hear me?"

Her hands dropped back to her side as her eyes widened in disbelief. "All these things I've done- how many people did I hurt?" she asked in a voice that sounded broken, but more like the one Pit remembered.

He felt something being pressed in his hand. A glance down told him it was the Light core. A small smile graced his lips as he handed it to the friend he thought he had lost. She stared at him and began to ask something, but he cut her off. "It doesn't matter what you did, because it wasn't you who did it," Pit assured her. "Palutena, just wake up and come home, alright? We'll be best friends, just like it used to be, and we'll save the world together, alright?"

Though shock and confusion still filled her face, Palutena took the core in her hand. "What kind of fool would give an enemy a weapon?" she mused, before shaking her head. "These memories, you were like that, weren't you? Always thinking the best of people."

The only answer he gave was a smile and a nod. "You still have faith in me, after all this time." A sad smile crossed her face as she closed her fingers around the white core. "Alright then, if you believe I can be saved, perhaps I can. Light!"

The white enveloped her, changing her robes into a white dress with an elaborate set of gold jewelry accenting it. "Call out 'Lux' to drive out the dark magic," ordered Lucina.

Giving a nod, Palutena held the core in front of her chest and called "Lux!", squinting her eyes shut as if bracing for an impact. An arrow of brilliant light shot from the core, piercing through Palutena's heart. A wave of dark energy exited her body, and her eyes shot wide open. An odd smile came to her face. "Pit," she muttered, her voice sounding whole and completely like her own. "Please forgive me for putting you through all of that. And I know I did awful things, but I promise I never meant to hurt anyone!"

Tears filled Pit's eyes as he threw his arms around his old friend. "It's okay," he assured her. "I told you, it doesn't matter anymore." Having her beside him, it felt as if a gaping hole in his heart was being filled. "Just promise you won't leave again?"

Palutena sobbed. "Promise."

_Part One- End_

* * *

_**AN- Hey, look, I gave someone a happy ending for once. Well, unless Viridi actually died, then it's still not really happy for them. But part one is over, all the Alchemist Knights are present, and the only thing left is to break them beyond repair. Luckily, there's a big bonus chapter I'm putting out tomorrow that clocks in at more than nine thousand words, which should shed some light on exactly how I plan to do so.**_

_**So, chapterly question: do you think Viridi is actually dead? I mean, it could go either way, but she might just be horribly injured, and this is **totally** not just me feeling bad for giving her such a gory end and trying to see if I can salvage her and not make one of our protagonists a murderer. Also, more Gaiden suggestions would be nice. **_

_**Anyways, thank you all for reading! It's awesome to think so many people love this story so much, and I really do love writing it. So, here's to the end of part one and the beginning of part two! –Twilight Joltik**_


	38. Interlude- Break

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Interlude- Break_

Before the stars had called upon her to be their guardian, Lucina was simply a girl. Not a particularly noteworthy one, but one that cared about one thing alone: the people close to her. Perhaps it was a relic of being the one to raise her younger brother, for the most part, or of being the thing that held her friend group together. Both things caused her to be the one to prevent her "family" from getting hurt, and this was what stayed. Her goals? None, in particular, but she'd have loved to be a mother and give her children the complete family she'd never had.

After she was called, it seemed as if nothing would be the same. The world seemed so new to her, so full of possibilities. That wasn't true, though. In the grand scheme of things, the only thing added to her life was a new "family" to protect. Roy, of course, had always been her second little brother, and he needed her now more than ever. Ike, Marth, they were too stubborn to show how hurt they were, but there were scars there too deep to heal. Though they were both near her own age, they felt like younger brothers as well. The others were beginning to feel like this as well, especially after seeing Pit's despair while facing his friend and Dark Pit's loyalty to someone he'd never truly met.

Of course, the biggest change was her newfound ability to restore the true family she'd lost, but she wouldn't dare consider that. Though it was all she could have ever dreamed for, she didn't want to destroy the "family" she'd found. She had found her happiness, and she would fight for it and it alone, because she knew her parents were happy where they were and dragging them back into this world would give them more pain than they deserved.

_Breaking her would be simple, take that thing she loves so much and make her watch it burn._

* * *

Before meeting Lucina, Ike had pretty much one goal: find one. He'd played with several options, but the most he could think of was finding some way to make others happy. He wasn't sure how best to do that, and he could feel time running out on his decision. He'd soon have to apply to colleges and choose something to major in, but he had pretty much no ideas. Soren helped him forget about this for a while, but he'd found being more than friends awkward and unnatural after time, so he'd broken it off with an apology and a rather large amount of guilt over hurting his best friend. Things returned to as they were, but it was no less static and quickly moving.

But a single instant gave him purpose. Even before setting off to find the other Alchemist Knights, he could see this as a future. If he, of all people, had been chosen to be a hero, he had to be worthy of it. Saving people, defeating evil, it was like one of those cartoons his little sister watched, sans the short skirts. Secretly, he hoped it would include the mysterious hero love interest as well. "Hopeless Romantic", that's what his mother had called him, a title he bore begrudgingly. She'd warned him love could be like the sea: something that looks tranquil and lovely, but can turn cutting and drown its victims in a saltwater tomb easily.

Her words were completely right, as he quickly learned. Marth entered his life by giving him a debt to repay. He'd, at least at first, only cared because he didn't want it to remain for long, but somewhere between the swordplay lessons and the zombie attack, he'd tried to avoid the prince's gaze for a different reason. He knew he was hopeless in this situation, as no matter how kind he was, this boy was not only from a different time period, the distant past at that, but he was royalty, with a life already set out for him. His complete hopelessness led him to the internet, only to assure himself that Marth would be happy without him.

Completely wrong, as it turned out. He would not only not be happy, but die in a bloody battle in a matter of months after a (seemingly) purely political marriage. This gave Ike another goal: save Marth, no matter what it took. Though he had no powers over time and space, if he could just find some way to stop Marth from going back, or some way to stay with him and stop him from marrying for political gain and/or going into battle, everything would be fine, right?

Ribbons of seawater were suffocating him, and there was no air in sight, he knew this. It didn't matter to him that it would drag him under. He didn't care if it took all of his heart to save the one he cared about- no, loved, because Marth of all people was worth the pain. If he kept seeing his love as a ghost, he'd quickly become one himself. What was it Soren had said, "hold on to hope, even if it seems stupid"? That was what he needed to do, pray that the future could be changed into one where Marth was happy. Even if the means to do so were not in his hand, he would find a way to master the seas of time and love.

_Breaking him would be only as easy as breaking the person he's given his heart to foolishly._

* * *

Before Lucina came crashing back into his life, Roy was fairly content. He had friends, he was finally over that childhood crush on the blue-haired girl, he was maintaining good enough grades to get accepted into a good college, and he was content with where his life was going.

That was before he realized how much there was of it. When Lucina asked him for help saving the world, he didn't really think it would affect his future until he saw his mother. The mere fact she was a Manakete threw a wrench in quite a lot. Roy was not human, he would outlive everyone he cared about, and there was nothing to do but accept it. How one goes about accepting they will see the last light fade from the eyes of every friend within the first percentile of their life, what was there to accept about that?

From then on, every second was something he grew to resent. The clocks were so cruel, only allowing him precious few moments with his closest friends. Every second was colder than the last, too fitting for his powers. If only the world could be like himself: cold and eternal. Perhaps then he wouldn't mind having to be in it for so long.

What was it he could do to accept this? What would become of him? After all that time, would he just forget the people he'd once loved and learn to accept their death as a part of life, or would he be unable to bear it and refuse to grow closer to anyone. He had plenty of time to think on that, several thousand years, in fact. Laying awake at night, his head wouldn't dare accept that this wasn't the time to worry about the future, and instead reminded him of what he'd lose. There'd be a time, one that would come relatively soon, when he'd never hear his father's voice, his friends' laughter, his partners' reassurances, or any familiar sounds but that of his own voice ever again.

None of his worrying would solve a thing. The only thing he wanted was for time to slow, for the days spent with his friends to never end. He wanted, at very least, for their smiles to be imprinted upon his memory so he wouldn't forget them once the tomorrow in which they were long gone had come.

_He will break in time. There is nothing to do to accelerate the process, just wait._

* * *

Before the Alchemist Knights called for him, Marth had every single instant of his life planned out. He'd marry whomever would bring Altea the most stability. He'd raise a son to take the throne after himself. He'd give every ounce of himself to his country. Doing this would give his existence meaning, even centuries after his death. Kings had the potential to live on forever in the hearts of their nation, and that was his intention. He would live his life for his country, for his people, doing whatever was best for them.

But Lucina called out for him, and she looked so very like himself, the intrigue too great to pass up. And Ike was so kind, always making sure he was welcome in a world unknown to him. He had misgivings from the start, but he told himself that he wouldn't have been chosen for a task he was unfit to perform. In the end, even the horrors he saw would make him a stronger leader, would they not?

It had the opposite effect, though. Breaking down in someone else's arms made something stir inside of him, some block evaporating in his soul, bringing some light he longed to feel again. But that could never happen again. Love was not something he'd planned for, save for patriotism. No, that couldn't be allowed, not towards a man from a thousand years in his future, nor could longing for a life in which his tears were free to fall. Letting his feelings show, that was not something he could allow either. He had to not let that happen again. A figurehead for a nation couldn't have personal sorrows, only those of a nation. That was what his father had taught him, and that was how it had to be.

And then there was that odd familiarity from Lucina, extended to Shulk and, of all people, the cold hearted Celestial Guardian Grima. Why did he recognize him? It was as if he were a remnant of another life, one he didn't quite recall. It was said the Celestial Guardians were meant to invoke sorrow in the Alchemist Knights, so perhaps Grima was the one meant to torment him. The only thing he could grasp at was a slight resemblance to his loyal retainer Kris, but he wasn't entirely sure in what way. And the guilt towards Shulk's powers, why would he feel responsible for it? It wasn't as if the curse was his fault, that couldn't be possible. As absurd as it sounded, he couldn't help but wonder: if it truly was a silly sentiment, why did he feel it was?

The tears he has shed and the relief that came with them made him feel so lost, but he knew he had to stay on track. There was but one thing making him suffer through this, something he wouldn't allow himself to resent, as if he broke, Altea would fall with him.

_The instant he were to realize what he really was, Marth would shatter. It is only a matter of finding what this secret he holds is, the one unknown to even him. _

* * *

Before Paula died, Ness knew not where his life was going, but he enjoyed each moment of it. He had friends, family, and a perfectly good life with nothing to complain about. Looking back, he regretted taking that for granted.

And then Paula vanished and he found her a few days later as a lifeless corpse. The tears shed over her death and the deaths of the other victims of Grima's cruelness was enough to make Ness's resolve change from wanting to enjoy life to wanting to improve those of everyone around him. He didn't want to see any more tears shed, and he wanted to see to it that he wouldn't see such an awful thing again.

This was simple enough, but then he met people who had been so thoroughly broken by things that he'd been unable to stop. Lucas mourned a brother that had been turned into a living corpse weapon. Red mourned his admiration for a martyr turning to loathing for a traitor. Peach mourned her own uselessness in preventing the corruption of her friend, and her own innocence after blood splattered across her hands. Pit mourned a friend that had turned on him for the sake of a ghost that was only narrowly able to be recovered. Shulk mourned someone that had been the closest thing to reassurance his powers allowed him to feel. These were only what he had failed to stop in the past few days.

There would be more pain he couldn't dampen in the future. He'd have to accept that. What he'd vowed to do in memory of Paula was impossible, but he could try. And if it wasn't, well, he'd be alright. Whatever he could do was what he'd have to accept, even if his regrets were never heard.

_Surprisingly resilient, but breaking him is not a priority. If worst comes to worst, he'd break if he thought he'd caused an innocent's death._

* * *

Before he'd learned of Blue's deception, he'd fought in her name. It was just him, Green, Leaf, and on occasion May and Ethan against the Silph Corporation. He'd had to swear to be willing to give his life to avenging his friend, and very nearly did on many occasions. While pursuing Mewtwo, he thought he'd have to say goodbye to his odd little life, and made Green promise to protect Leaf for him while he was gone. He knew he'd be a fine martyr for their cause, but he didn't want to feel the blow breaking his body. As much as Green and Leaf thought he was a hero, he was lying whenever he pretended to be. Really, he was as cowardly as anyone, but he had people believing he was their hope for a future free of these storybook villains. He'd never really believed in their little charade, but it was what his only friend and little sister were counting on him to do.

And then the Alchemist Knights came. He was sure they were his salvation from the life he'd trapped himself in. He'd tried to forget about that world, about what he was expected to be, but he never could. It was "Cobalt's" fault for making his escape and real life get tangled. If she hadn't shown up, he could have acted as if he'd forgotten who had first spurred him into action, who had made him into a liar. He had to return someday, now, but he supposed he wasn't the kind of person to up and leave a naïve younger sibling and a conspiracy theorist friend forever.

So instead, he tried to do what he'd always done best: smile and act like he was the person people thought him to be. He'd be a hero, even when he made mistakes, and he'd forget the awful things plaguing him. After all, what's a little deception when people are counting on you?

_He could snap easily if others find out his true intentions. _

* * *

Before the Alchemist Knights came around, Peach's life was fairly repetitive. Any time she would so much as take two steps, someone would be after her for their gain. Therefore, she blamed her weakness on genetics. If she wasn't a diplomat's daughter, she'd be able to be alone for long enough to find some way to defend herself. But the way thing had been, she was never without a guard for very long, and certainly not without someone who would prevent her from learning the finer points of combat. Her life was like some twisted fairy tale that was read over and over, her white knight dissolving over and over again into ink and water, leaving her so terribly disappointed whenever the page was turned. If only her life could be the kind of story where the princess was the hero, then she could be truly happy. Those stories didn't exist though, did they?

The day came when she was given a chance to be a hero, but at the cost of the life of one of her dearest friends. His brother had delivered her the news of what had been done to save her this time, and her heart broke. She waited for these mysterious warriors to return for her, hoping the good she could do at their side would make up for Luigi's death.

And then she saw the Celestial Guardian Mr. L, knowing at once this was the special brand of torture selected for her. When pursuing him, she couldn't help but think that she should have been the villain in this story. If that man would have been in her place, he would have been just as brave as herself. He needed the confidence as well, considering he'd grown up as a shadow to his more outgoing twin. He'd found that confidence, but from a dark place.

Every blow struck against him was burning, but she knew it was a necessary thing. She had to find a way to save him, to reach out to his heart with the flames of light. Odd, how things worked out. She was the hero, but she'd never wanted it to be this way. She had magic, she was a hero, and yet she was hating herself for ever having wished for it because it was making someone else suffer.

What happened to the rose staff girl, it was more than she could bear. Another living being had nearly been slain at her hands. Yes, she retreated with the rest of the Star Eaters, but all the blood she'd spilled, she still very well might have died. The guilt she felt for harming another, even if she was the enemy, was too much to bear. Heroes, they were always felling foul beasts in stories, but somehow it had never crossed Peach's mind that if she were to be one, she'd do the same. She couldn't escape the feeling that what she had done was wrong, even if it wasn't her fault, or it was the heroic thing to do. Combined with Luigi's suffering, she felt that she no longer wanted to be a hero. Really, it was coming to seem as if this brand of heroism only led to people getting hurt.

_If we can make her feel she is a true "hero", perhaps it will shatter her enough._

* * *

Before he'd found out why his brother had vanished, Lucas was already a fundamentally broken person. He thought everything beyond help, even his own father, who had devoted his life to vain attempts to find Claus. His twin was gone, something he knew, but pretending there was hope was better than accepting that humans were destroying all hope in the world on their own. With every metal spire breaking the sky, Lucas shook his head in the hopelessness of it all. His world would destroy itself within a few years, and he'd be caught in the blast.

If only he'd not seen a glimmer of hope in their offer, he'd gone on not knowing the worst of the world. But his brother was turned from someone he'd finally found to a corpse to a monster in a matter of minutes, as did he. Those awful powers of the "Love" core, they made the entire world terrifying. The power to read minds, turn human beings into puppets, with their strings in his hands, project his own feelings onto others. The only thing that wasn't scaring him was the power to drive out darkness. Of course, he was too filled with his own darkness to use that, so not even it could save him from being as much of a monster as his brother. Not even the bit of good he was capable of with his others powers was a reassurance that this wasn't the case, as all it had done had given someone who shouldn't have felt pain the ability to feel it.

He wanted to leave that path the moment he saw his brother's blood splattered on the stones, foolishly demanding some form of compensation for his heartache. Seeing his mother once more was more painful than healing, and it caused him to be caught up in even more tragedy. He tried to use those powers for good, but all he managed to do is give a heart to a being that was supposed to lack one. That wasn't even helpful to the being, as it only made it feel the loneliness and pain he would have been spared.

If it wasn't for the few good things he'd done with his powers; helping save Pit from Circe's curse and getting information from Dark Pit, Lucas would be completely in despair. His powers, perhaps they weren't inherently bad, so long as they were used for the right purposes. Still, he didn't want to be the one to use them any more than he would have had they not had any positive applications.

_He'll break more every time he sees the Masked Man. He's already plenty broken now, luckily._

* * *

Before Link died, he was… happy. He possessed very few of the person he was replacing's memories, but Metal knew that. Link had been content being Zelda's friend, being a citizen of Hyrule that wasn't noteworthy in the least. The hours floated by without bringing any sense of dread for the future, each moment a fruit to savor. That was the life Link had loved, and it was the one Metal longed for.

That life would never exist for him, as he had been born from death. Vaguely, he recalled Zelda mentioning that she made an artificial replacement in the case anything was to happen to Link shortly after her mother died. An idea springing from one death and put into action by another. Metal was simply some hollow corpse given a name and a purpose.

All that time spent alone as Zelda's software set to work on tricking the Metal core into thinking it was his, he only vaguely recalled it. It was almost like a comatose dream, a distant, hazy vision. He remembered very little of it, save for the loneliness he felt.

"Felt"- feelings- that was the one kindness he was allowed. While he was the bearer of one core, his life only existed because of another. That conversation, the blond boy in tears, it was clear in his brain, though he was barely conscious at the time. He had asked someone, he couldn't recall who, if his power of feeling could be projected onto another, and then desperately attempted it. The pitiful excuse for a mind he had was spurred into action by his cry. Pain, despair, dread, they filled his hollow being, but he somehow knew the potential to feel happiness had entered as well. Had he been granted a soul somehow, or was it simply some emulation of one? Was he alive? How was he to know?

Countless hours to think on this question, but he still hadn't arrived at an answer. He wasn't Link, he knew that, but who was he then? Vessel, corpse, miracle, nothing, which was it? Whichever it was, though nothing beat in his chest but the hydraulic whirring, he somehow had a "heart", so he was at least was something, right?

_Breaking a machine? That's unnecessary. He's served his purpose._

* * *

Before she forced her heart out of her mind, Zelda was content with the life she had with her family and Link. Link, he had told her numerous times that he wanted to be a hero someday, that he wanted to make the world a better place. She hoped for that as well, but even then, she was logical and knew that it was unlikely they would make much difference in the end. Her parents were both scientists, something she knew she wanted to take up when she grew older. It was fascinating, how the world worked. Perhaps she could be a hero that way, she told herself, invent something to impress everyone, to help everyone.

And then her mother was taken by illness that not even she could cure, and her world came crashing down. Every hint of a "heart" in her mind managed to be driven away. Resentment, that was the first thing she had to lock away. She couldn't blame her mother for not wanting to worry her with the state of her health. Loathing, that had to go too. She couldn't hate her father for being unable to save her mother. Envy followed it. If she looked upon every person that was whole with contempt, what sort of life was that? Sadness, that was driven out too. If she kept crying, what would it fix? Joy followed it, as happiness is no use when you don't have the person dearest to you to share it with, nor sadness to contrast with it. Caring, that vanished too. What would she care for a world she didn't find joy in?

Eventually, all that was left was that desire to change the world. She took up robotics, first to try to make some safeguard that the person next closest to her would never leave her, and then to help the people left in the world she cared nothing for. There were whispers in the city, about that girl who lives outside of town. They said she was a genius with mechanics, that she wouldn't talk to anyone for purposes other than business save for one boy. They said she hid away because she was mad, because her mother had perished and left her hating the world. They said she cared only for glory, for notability.

But those people were incorrect on some accounts. Perhaps she was a recluse, and perhaps she was mad, but she didn't hate the world. On the contrary, she cared to protect it very much. And not for glory either, for the sake of the people living in it. They deserved to keep their hearts if she couldn't, didn't they? And that was the goal she gave herself to. She could still do something to improve everyone's lives, right?

It was her first creation that ended up fulfilling this. When Link had fallen, she thought she would be beyond caring. She tried her best to make that true, but it still stung when his replacement had rejected his identity. A part of her was glad it had happened, though. She was given that glowing violet core, her chance to make the world a better place, just like she and Link used to talk about. That tiny bit of her heart that still existed told her that she'd much rather do it alongside him.

The heart she'd locked up, she knew she'd be resented for it. The prince, he was hypocritical in his loathing, though. He thought her a monster, as was plastered upon his face, but hadn't he done the same? Oh, she would never admit she'd seen his name in history books, considering that would likely lead to discussion of his early demise. Still, she wondered why he thought her a beast when he was just the same; blocking out his emotions to better function for the sake of others.

_This woman is plenty broken. Fracturing her further would be overkill._

* * *

Before he had done something stupid enough to break his world to pieces, he was truly an idiot. Reckless, wishing for something that was sure to happen if he ignored it, it was a wonder anyone bothered with him. Really, it was a wonder people cared at all when he finally crossed the line.

And then he'd done something idiotic that not only led to his world's collapse, but also its beginning. Though his wings were broken forever, he could soar plenty far at Rosalina's side. A new purpose opened in his life, one filled with even greater possibilities than his first. He mourned Palutena, of course, and he'd come to see her at least once a week before she'd "died", but he was almost glad it had happened. To find people willing to accept him for all of his faults, Shulk most of all, it was something that gave his life new meaning. He hated himself for thinking this way, sometimes, but he learned that everything that happens, good or bad, leads to an eventual end. This was Shulk's thinking, fueled by his visions, and it seemed true enough. If he had never been an idiot, he'd also have not been a Starstorm Knight. His reprieve, it was something that he wouldn't trade for anything, save for Palutena's life. But even then, the world he most wanted to see was one where him, Shulk, Meta Knight, Kirby, Viridi, and Palutena could all be friends and Knights.

That future came to pass, but not at all as he would have wanted. Palutena, she wasn't just alive, she was a monster that caused all the pain in Pit's world. Viridi, she had turned on them entirely, all but vanishing and presumed dead. Meta Knight, he was dead too, murdered by someone as lost as Palutena was. Even then, Palutena was able to step back into the light, taking her place by Pit's side once more. That alone was enough to make all the horrors Pit had ever felt worth it. Just to have a future where he was forgiven and beside the two people he cared about the most, it made any of the pain ebb away. With these powers of his, which had already managed to save Dark Pit alongside Palutena, he knew he would be glad to face anything else in the future that made it dark. In the end, surely the four of them could make it brighter.

_Make that happy future something he never sees. When he breaks, it will be the best way to get through to his teammate. _

* * *

Before she had died, Palutena was perfectly content. She had two great friends, she was getting good at her light magic, things seemed bright for her. It was silly to think things would work out perfectly, though. She was the kind of person who was chastised for not using her sharp mind for the right things, caring more for leisure than learning. Everyone whispered that the three of them were troublemakers, which was true, but she barely cared. Wandering off the path, it was much more fun that way.

The lack of a path was probably what led her to death's doors. She followed Pit because he was her best friend, and to her, that meant she wouldn't abandon him even if he was being stupid. Even if he wasn't always bright, he meant well, and that was what mattered to her. Even when she felt the light in her eyes drain away, she didn't regret standing by Pit, as he'd probably have suffered this fate had she not come with him. The last thing she remembered before slipping into darkness was a beating of wings as Pit tried to protect her. It was the best memory she could hope to be her last.

A hazy darkness enveloped her, dragging her deeper by the second. She thought she heard voices: Pit's, Viridi's, a few she didn't recognize, but she couldn't call out to them. It only lifted when a masked creature used some magic to drag her out of it. The brief light she saw fluttering in the curtains in the infirmary, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was the only beauty she saw before the person that had saved her chained her heart in the dark, leaving it to burn away. Palutena was dead, locked in that darkness. Circe, that was her name, and her only wish was to see the world bathed in chaos enough to give her the power to destroy it.

All the awful things Circe did, Palutena couldn't recall them well. She knew she dragged an innocent man named Luigi into that darkness, manipulated people to join their side, caused many futile deaths. The fact that Viridi had been cast into darkness by her own hand, and indirectly, one of Pit's new friends had been slain by herself, it almost destroyed her when she woke up from that darkness. The only person she recalled from that time was Dark Pit, but even then, she only remembered him for the fact that he had served her loyally, even if that loyalty was forced.

Her reprieve was more than she deserved, but it was exactly in the way it ought to have been. Pit, that bright light she'd always tried to stand with, he still had faith in her own light after all of those years. For anyone else, giving the enemy one of their best weapons would have been an awful move, but for someone so optimistic, it was the only way to save a friend. Pit allowed the light that was left in her heart to claw its way out, and for that, she would always be grateful.

All that blood shed at her expense, she could only comprehend it after her heart was unchained. It was sickening to think she had been such a cruel person. How could anything she could possibly do as an Alchemist Knight make up for it? Even if she saved the universe, Viridi's corruption would still be her fault, as would Peach's despair. But with all she had done, no one held it against her. Though she had done everything possible completely wrong, she was forgiven for it. Everything about that purity in her friends was truly wonderful, and it was enough to give her hope that perhaps even someone as soaked in blood as her could bring about a brighter world.

_She has served her usefulness. Now, to take all that hope away from them._

* * *

Dark Pit recalled very little of his existence prior to becoming a block on Palutena's memories. He vaguely recalled helping someone else prior to her, but they never spoke. Only a vague image of a blue-haired girl with a broad smile remained of his first "master", aside from his rather clear memories of her demise. No, he wasn't calling her that. "Charge", that was better. He served no one aside from himself, that was true even when he was a spirit that gave that stupid necklace power, lingering in a body that would never see his face.

And then he'd been drawn out of his current charge's body, alongside her memories, and given form from them. The shadow girl and dark mage, he told them very plainly what he thought of their ideas. It was stupid to make him into a safeguard that Palutena would stay on their side, and he was not planning on helping them with that. A lightning blow to his head and the promise of another through his brain was enough to make his bravado vanish. He didn't want to help them with such a stupid, pointless plan, but he also wasn't too keen on dying either.

Having a physical form, it wasn't all he thought it would be. It felt a lot heavier than being a spirit, and the movements were clunky at best. He grew used to it with time, but he hated the exact form he took. Of all people, why some random brat from his charge's memory? And pain, it wasn't fun. Emotions, they weren't either, considering the only ones he felt were the negative ones. Loneliness took the cake on the amount of time spent in it, considering the only people he knew lacked hearts. Being locked up for such long periods of time didn't help. It was better than hurting people, he supposed, but not by much. If he went in battle, maybe he could have been able to escape. That was probably why he was kept from it, but it didn't stop him from dreaming.

When the day came for his wish to finally be granted, it was quickly dashed by the fact that most of the other Celestial Guardians were to be there as well, himself acting on the broken Palutena's orders. Circe, that person didn't exist, so why acknowledge her as such? If he was sure no one else was looking, that was what he'd call her. If that idiot girl could just remember who she was, maybe he could stop having to prevent it from happening.

Meeting the person from Palutena's memories, the one his body was based upon, it was strange. He was so much more cheerful than he had imagined, and annoying as all get out. The girl, she knew he wasn't right in an instant, and the blond had figured out what he was quickly. It probably helped that he didn't fight his attempts to search his memories, but why should he? He didn't really want them to lose, and if they somehow managed to save Palutena, it would have freed him as well. Upon figuring out he wasn't supposed to exist, the Alchemist Knights did something odd: took pity on him. Reaching out a hand to him, the girl and the others promised him protection he couldn't have asked for.

And then Palutena shot him. Death, he didn't dread it now. If he died, his memories would go to Palutena, and she'd be saved. The Light core would be useless without him, but she'd be safe, at least. He never thought those memories or his form meant a thing, but he was proven wrong by the Air core. Its powers were able to connect his body to Pit's, stabilizing it, making it real. He truly existed, and the memories that sustained him shot right back to Palutena. He was released from the cycle of darkness, free to do whatever he pleased. Even the light core still worked without him in Palutena's body, weaker than before, but still functional.

With all the places he could fly, why did he stay with the Alchemist Knights? He told himself it was debt, considering they'd saved his life so many times over, and he owed it to his former charge. He didn't care about them, he didn't want to see the Time girl again, he didn't want to learn if the memories he now shared with Pit meant a thing, he didn't want to make sure Palutena was safe, and he most certainly didn't choose Pit's path as his own. No, it was in his best interest to stay with them. If anything happened to him again, he'd be safe. Well, as safe as someone who shouldn't exist could be, at least. He knew enough from all that time as no one to think clearly, at least, and not kid himself with false expectations. If he lived another month, it would be a miracle, and he had probably cashed all of his in already.

_Breaking him is only important if he can get through to a Star Core Knight. If we can make that happen, it will be helpful._

* * *

There was nothing before his meeting with Rosalina, as far as Shulk knew. There was only his life afterwards, the one filled with terrifying windows to a time that may never come. As a child, he'd cry at night, fearing the blood-soaked images that would come up. Rosalina had held him like a mother would her child and promised him the day would come when he would be able to accept the visions, but he didn't want to see the day when he didn't fear seeing people who would one day be dear to him dead on the ground. He bore it though, as he knew he could save lives with his powers.

When he'd finally met Pit in the waking world, he'd known it would be the closest thing he would ever have to a friend. And yes, that was what Pit called them, but he was hesitant to return the term. He didn't want to be close to a person who'd be connected to so much sorrow in his life, but in time, he found it impossible to avoid this "friendship". He was a bit annoying on occasion, but he was always cheerful and kind, something he desperately needed.

In his visions, sometimes Meta Knight's blood would stain the ground, Pit's tears would fill the air, or some unknown shade would take its last breaths in his arms. If he was lucky, he'd get through a few days between seeing the worst of them. All the pain, all the suffering, sometimes it was too much to bear. And the worst of it, that awful beast, the one so grotesque he couldn't bear to look at anything that bore so much as a passing resemblance to it, it seemed to have made it a goal to turn him into an insomniac. At times, even closing his eyes would make the carnage replay before his eyes. Rosalina promised him that the future he saw could be averted with his foresight, but it didn't stop them from burning themselves into his eyelids

Pit knew he saw things he couldn't speak of, but he was smart enough to not ask him about it. Kirby was too naïve to see anything more than pretty pictures strewn across Shulk's desk, but Meta Knight had told him very early on that he wasn't to ask him about his visions. And Meta Knight, he knew the most of it after Rosalina. On the nights when he was young, those tearful, sleepless nights filled with nightmares, whenever Rosalina was unable to sufficiently calm his sobbing, the masked knight would stand beside him as he tried to fall asleep. He rarely spoke, but he held his sword against the dark, as if daring it to come any closer to Shulk.

Though he was grateful for this, it came as a surprise when he happened upon something he never foresaw: an argument between the knight and Rosalina. Through a cracked door, he could hear Meta Knight berating Rosalina for her coldness towards Shulk. He accused her of making him suffer through things he wasn't prepared for, asked her why she wouldn't keep the Monado from him until he grew older. She replied with a simple, undisputable fact: he had saved lives even then with his visions, and he would save more as he learned to better record them. That alone gave Shulk a bit of courage when he faced the flashes of the future. He was saving people. That future of darkness, it could be averted.

Regardless of what Pit and others came to think of him, he was a thousand times more spineless than anyone thought him to be. He couldn't accept the things he saw, they still haunted his nightmares. And as he went on, he had a sinking feeling that the clock was ticking down the seconds towards an inevitable goodbye to his loved ones, and a bloody one at that. In all honesty, he wouldn't want the world to be any other way. If he had all this pain, but also people who he could rely on, then perhaps that pain was worth it. Plus, if he bore that burden, it meant no one else had to. Such a terrible fate, he wouldn't have wished it upon anyone, but he would make the most of it and try to keep smiling.

And then Meta Knight died, just as he had always seen, though he tried his best to stop it. He wasn't just mourning his ally and the closest thing to a father he had ever known, but he was mourning hope. If he wasn't strong enough to change the future, perhaps that world of darkness would be his. No, he had changed something, even if it wasn't his aim. He had once seen Viridi's death upon that day, and Pit's weeping at her side. Something had changed to make the future brighter, so perhaps it was possible that darkness he saw could be averted entirely.

_Make sure that dark future is his. The despair will be great enough to break him, to make him reset._

* * *

Grima flipped through his notebook again. Planning out the demise of all of them, it was exhausting, but it passed for entertainment. Each of them had such a specific weak point, it was almost fun.

Bookmarks let him know the exact place where his notes on the most important ones sat. The three pieces of the Star core, breaking them was his priority. The people close to them, breaking them would help as well. Sitting down, he let out a sigh. No matter how much he found out about them, the Star core's wielders were complete mysteries to him. He felt if he could just reach out and glance through their minds, he would understand them. But the sinking feeling of guilt he felt around them, it was something he was sure had been released from his mind. He wasn't meant to feel guilt, for it clouded his mind, made his tactical decisions weak.

That empty, gaping hole in his mind, he had to learn to accept it. It was already starting to drive him mad. A faint memory still existed, the only one he had left, of the Star Seeker, as they had nicknamed him, reaching out to him. A soft "It'll be alright, I promise," came with it, but it didn't explain a thing. He knew, of course, "Grima" used to be someone else, but he could never know who that person was. Not even any of his fellow Celestial Guardians remembered, as the Masked Man had been the one to "recruit" him, and he was famously bad at retaining information. All he could gather was that he was surely meant to torture one of the Alchemist Knights in some way.

The hole in his memory, the guilt the Star Seeker, Seer, and Shield made him feel, they were connected. Somehow, they would be the key to finding this information. No, he had to ignore it. It wasn't his goal to know who he had been, it was his goal to bring about a reset. Only if that information could help him do that was it important.

Perhaps it was, but until he knew for certain, it needed to be ignored. Not knowing, it was painful, but he knew if his discomfort was known, it would be met with a laugh. If he could just have a name or a reason, it would be fine, but those things wouldn't come.

"_Breaking me,"_ he muttered with a wry smirk. _"It would be as simple as telling me why it pains me so to see the Star Core Knights in pain."_

* * *

_**AN- Well, that was really freaking long. Really, it was over 7,500 words, (author's note notwithstanding, which is what I used to give the number last chapter, since it is sort of important,) and ate up much of the time I should have used to write other things. Oh well, it was worth it for such a nice, clean summary of the main characters and their woes. Okay, I say "main characters", but I would only count eight of them as such: Lucina, Marth, Ike, Roy, Red, Pit, Shulk, and Grima. Should give you an idea of who to keep an eye on. **_

_**Also, chapterly question: which character's interlude was your favorite? I liked Shulk's and Marth's, but that shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, my favorites are the ones who suffer the most, because I love them and love is painful or something. Also, I'd love to hear any theories on things you might have theories on, like Grima's past or any characters' futures, and I still need suggestions for Gaidens. Meta Knight's will probably be next, and I plan to have Palutena's and Dark Pit's up as well, but I still need at least two more.**_

_**So, just for fun, I'll add a little extra thing down here. Each character's interlude was, fittingly enough for an interlude, based off of a song. I don't really expect you people to care, as they're mostly Vocaloid songs, but I'll add a few extra facts about the characters alongside the song, because I feel like it. If you want to look up the songs, well, I'm not guaranteeing they will perfectly reflect the character (Ike's and Ness's in particular are a bit iffy, as are Lucas's and Pit's), but they might help. There's a link to a playlist of them on my profile page, if you care. Ah, who am I kidding, this is a silly thing to do, but I felt like it, and this is my story, so it happened. (Absolutely none of these are important foreshadowing I never found another place to put in, nor are they hints to future plot lines or general red herrings…)**_

_**Lucina Ylisse- **__Ayano's Theory of Happiness__**\- Though she seems to shoot down almost everyone who has feelings for her, she had a crush on one of Owain's friends, Brady (son of Maribelle and Henry), for years. She doesn't really see him much any more, hence why she's never mentioned it. Age- recently turned 17.**_

_**Roy Pherae- **__Cruel Clocks__** \- His friend Lilina has always had a huge crush on him, but he's too oblivious to notice. Also, he tends to get cold easily due to his Ice Dragon blood, causing him to wear warmer clothes even in summer. Age- 15.**_

_**Ike Ragnell- **__Evening Rain Ribbon__**\- His mother died when he was fairly young, and his family moved away from the city they used to live in shortly afterwards. His father is a coach at the middle school his younger sister Mist attends now, but he used to be in the military. Age- recently turned 17.**_

_**Marth Falchion- **__Lost One's Weeping__**\- The aforementioned Kris was easily his best friend (and though he hates to admit it, also probably only friend) before the Alchemist Knights came around. Ike's in the running to usurp that position now. Age- recently turned 18.**_

_**Red Iris- **__Night Tales Deceive__**\- He should act as a bit of a foil to Lucina. Rather than embracing his position as protector of his "family", he resents it, though this may be because he is expected to perform tasks he doesn't particularly agree with. Age- 18.**_

_**Peach Toadstool- **__Magia__**\- She has known Mario and Luigi for a while, due to them being the sons of one of her family's guards. She used to have a huge crush on Mario, but his White Knight status has started to wear off. Age- 19.**_

_**Ness Surge- **__Regret Message-__** He is penpals with a boy who attends a boarding school overseas, but technically lives in the same town as him. His name is Jeff Andronuts. Age- 14**_

_**Lucas Soleur- **__Lost Time Memory__**\- The energy he exhausted trying to give Metal a "heart" was what made him unable to cast his purity spell, combined with his general unhappiness, though the latter would have likely prevented its usage alone. Also, the only living being he trusts at the moment is his dog, Boney. The same would extend to his former acquaintances Duster and Kumatora, who helped him look for his brother for a while, but they vanished. Age- barely 15.**_

_**Metal/Link- **__Kokoro__**\- He was alone for upwards of ten years. He doesn't remember the exact number though. Age- Link was 20, he was made when Link was 9, so he is functionally around 19, but looks much younger.**_

_**Zelda Hylia- **__Tho__**\- She has a proxy robot of herself stored away somewhere, made for use in case she were to die before her father and/or Link so they wouldn't be as destroyed as she was by her mother's death. Unknown to Marth, she's also started work on a proxy of him, but it hasn't made it beyond the planning phase. Age- 20.**_

_**Pit Ikari- **__Six Trillion Years and Overnight Story__**\- His fear of eggplants stems from a prank Viridi pulled on him when they were young, in which she turned him into an eggplant by "accident". Palutena managed to find the counterspell when Viridi was unable to, but the incident scarred him for life. Age- has been alive for 16 years, but technically, due to relativity and the Observatory travelling at near light speed, from the rest of the universe's perspective he's several hundreds if not thousands of years old.**_

_**Palutena Lumina- **__Meltdown__**\- Though she was born to Angel parents, she was born without wings, something she used to resent Pit for a bit. Due to the time travel present in her time as Circe, though she was originally the same age as Pit, she's now about a year younger. Age- 15, same applies as Pit, but to a lesser extent.**_

_**Dark Pit Ikari/Alchemist Spirit of Light- **__Six Trillion Years and Overnight Story__**\- He has no knowledge of if he ever existed outside of the Light core before Midna and Grima's intervention, but he suspects he might have. Age- Unable to be determined mentally, probably a few hundred or so, 16 physically, due to his body being tied to Pit's.**_

_**Shulk Gaur- **__Eine Kleine__**\- He's been with Rosalina since he was four, in which he discovered the Monado while at the palace due to having snuck out of the academy. His parents are probably dead, but due to the nature of the Observatory, he wouldn't know if they were alive, due to the adults being in the military full time unless extenuating circumstances come up. Age- 18, relativity also applies.**_

_**Grima - **__Donut Hole__**\- He actually uses different nicknames for the Alchemist Knights in his head than he does at work. He will deny this to anyone who asks, but he has been caught calling Marth "Mar-Mar" rather than "Star Seeker" a few times. Age- 18-19?**_

_**What did I say? Really. Freaking. Long. If you read the entire Author's Note, well, congratulations, and my apologies for eating up so much of your time. So, thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik**_


	39. Gaiden Dark Pit- Id Purpose

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Eight- Dark Pit- Id~ Purpose_

A loud shout came from the Spirit of Light's charge: "Alright, time for a show! Light!", causing him to zap out of his inert state inside the core. In a brilliant burst, Dawn's body became enveloped in armor and a bright red scarf wrapped itself around her neck. An aura of power shone around her: the closest thing to a physical shape he could take. Seeing the world around him, he felt excitement coursing through the air. It was moments like this that made him feel like he was alive. Having a purpose, being able to help take out threats to the world, it was the only thing he cared about.

The battlefield was a lot clearer than it had been while in the core. Beside Dawn was the other Alchemist Knights of the Life Arrow, which was, in his opinion, the stupidest possible name for them. Blood, Plant, Light, Love, Air, and Magic; he supposed that seemed life-related, but the arrow part just made it sound tacky. They were facing, as he had suspected, Silver, the Star Eaters' second in command. He fought with Pokémon, much like Dawn, but he also had guns like the ones wielded by Observatory troops. Though the white mask he wore covered it, he was sure the red-haired man was smirking as he called out his monsters to do battle for him.

Their stupidly-named group's leader, the Plant core's wielder Olimar looked between his allies and gave a nod. With it, the Knight of Air dashed forward with his normal blistering pace and cried "Blades!", causing several shots of air to blast into one of Silver's Pokémon, the purple one with the red feather crest on its head. He couldn't ever quite comprehend why Sonic was such a physical attacker when his core was designed for manipulation of spirits, but regardless, his speed and skill with his blade made him adept at it.

Olimar himself followed up with a call of "Assist!", calling his plant minions from the earth. He threw them at the large blue dragon-like creature Silver commanded, calling the spell once more after all of them had perished. It seemed such a waste to summon them and give them life only to have them fall, but Olimar was pitiful at best with other weapons, so perhaps it could be justified.

"Blaze!", called the Knight of Magic as she entered the battle. As a pillar of flame shot from her outstretched hand, she struck the great black and white bird that was attempting to run through her with its steel-coated wings with her other palm. It quickly stopped its attack, its wings turning back to normal, and attempted to slice through her with a white slash. She easily ducked behind it and shouted "Freeze!", causing frosty air to form around her and coat the bird in ice. The Spirit of Light thought it was just as odd for Kumatora to prefer close-ranged combat as it was for Sonic, but it seemed just as effective.

Dawn, however, actually knew what an attacker of her own skillset was meant for, and didn't charge into the fray. Instead, she raised her Poké Ball to the sky and cast it onto the grassy ground, releasing her Empoleon from it. "Empoleon, use Drill Peck on his Gyarados!", she commanded, and the blue penguin Pokémon started spinning in the air and shooting towards the blue dragon like a bullet. "And Arrow!", Dawn added, thrusting her hand towards the dragon. That was his cue, he focused his energy into a single shot, soaring with it towards its target. The golden arrow was white-hot, he could almost feel it, even without a body. The creature cried out in pain as it met its flesh, an immensely satisfying sound.

As he returned to his charge's side, he heard the familiar blaster the Knight of Blood carried shooting through the purple creature Sonic was dueling. Fox McCloud gave a crooked, toothy smile as his eyes flashed with the red energy of his core, and the Pokémon fell to the ground with an awful cry. "Drain!", he called, energy visibly leeching from the creature.

Per the norm, he didn't notice the creepy little girl that wielded the Love core as she snuck up behind the immobile Pokémon and gazed deep into its eyes. Ashley's body seemed to move the creature she had possessed like a puppeteer, sending it flying after its master, claws unsheathed and shining white. He produced a Flame Gun from his incredibly tacky and unnecessarily elaborate cloak and shot it, sending his Pokémon to the ground with a sickening cry. Ashley gave an annoyed huff as her connection with it was broken and it was recalled to its Poké Ball.

His charge let out another cry of "Arrow!", and he focused his energy into another shot, sending it in the direction her hand was pointed. He ran straight into the great bird that had defrosted, making it let out another caw of agony. Kumatora struck it with another Blaze, knocking it unconscious. Silver recalled it just as he had his other one, and then pulled his Shock Gun out of his awful cloak, aiming it at the Knight of Magic.

With a gasp, Dawn started running towards her ally, and the Spirit of Light followed. She was not swift enough to block the bullet of electricity that hit Kumatora, leaving her screaming in pain on the ground as the current surged through her. The instant Dawn got close enough to her, she cried "Heal!", and he took his place practically inside of her, allowing a stream of healing energy to come from her hands.

Kumatora barely reacted. She writhed in pain still, her breathing heavy and ragged. Waves of despair and desperation could be felt coming from his charge. "Arrow," she cried, one hand extended towards the red haired man, who had his Shock Gun pointed at Dawn's throat. "Heal!" she added, her other hand clutching Kumatora's. The Spirit of Light tried to shoot deadly energy in one hand and healing in the other, but it seemed impossible. Every time he tried to switch between focusing on one, it would only leave him shooting alternating needles of light and healing magic from each hand.

Irritation replaced Dawn's annoyance. "Why isn't it working?" she exclaimed. "Arrow, Heal!" He tried his best, but it only produced the same result. In horror, he realized Silver was about to shoot the Shock Gun again, this time at Dawn. She realized this too, crying out "Prism!" to conjure a shield as it soared towards her. He tried to form the shield around her, but his powers were already too scrambled from the constant alteration. The bullet hit her, knocking her on her back as the electricity coursed through her.

When Silver called one of his Pokémon: a blue creature with an enormous set of sharp teeth to finish her off, the Spirit of Light was powerless to stop his master from getting torn through by the beast. He felt himself seeping back into the core as she expired, vaguely registering the anguished cries of her teammates and her Pokémon. The only thing that remained as the white expanse of nothingness swallowed him up, likely for the rest of time, was the awful knowledge that he had failed her.

* * *

As Dark Pit finished telling the story, he gave an annoyed scoff. "So, that's why I'm staying here," he finished. "'Cause as much as I'd rather be anywhere else, I'm sort of obligated to make up for the fact that I couldn't save my last charge."

Shulk continued to scribble things in his notepad, seemingly not noticing the last part. "Er, are you sure you don't remember any of their other attacks?", he asked.

Dark Pit rolled his eyes. It was nice actually having eyes to do it with, considering he'd have loved to do it on many occasions before he had a body.

"I take that as a no," the blond replied, finally looking up from his notes. "Thank you. I hadn't known of Assist or Magic's Freeze before now. But, there's another thing I'd like to ask."

"As if you hadn't asked enough already," Dark Pit added in a quiet hiss.

"You said one of the Magic core's attacks was Freeze, but the Time core also has one with the same name, and yet they do completely different things," Shulk mused. "None of the other cores have doubled up on attack names. It might be due to the fact the Time core is a derivative of the Star core, but I'm not sure if that would be the case. You don't know anything about that, do you?"

He shook his head. The only convenient part of being tied to a physical form was the ability to say things without speaking, he'd found. "I didn't know the Star core got split. I don't remember Lor- er, its wielder, Marc ever using a 'Freeze'."

Jotting more notes down, Shulk stayed silent for a minute, resting his hand on his chin. "The Star core definitely split after the first Celestial War, I knew that, but you say that the Star core wasn't capable of using some attacks before the split?"

"I never saw it use that weird explosion attack that girl used either," he added.

"Marth is male," he corrected. Dark Pit had known that, but it didn't make him look him look any less feminine. "So somehow power was added in its split. That's… interesting," Shulk remarked, writing something else. "That means it must was either split with a great deal of power, or in a condition or location it could have drawn energy from. Thank you, that helps a lot."

After an awkward moment of silence from both parties, Dark Pit asked "Can I go now?"

"Can you answer what I asked you earlier?" Shulk countered. "About joining the Starstorm Knights?"

Dark Pit hadn't given the offer much thought, but it seemed a bit more permanent than what he was looking for. Pit's memories of them were all positive, sure, but it seemed that there wasn't really any quitting, but perhaps that was due to its members not having anywhere else to go. Being on a team with Pit and Kirby for the rest of eternity seemed like a nightmare, and even if Pit's memories made his subconscious edge towards Shulk, he didn't particularly like him himself. On the other hand, Palutena had joined them as well, and he was obligated to watch out for his charge. "Fine," he conceded. "But as soon as we beat them, I'm leaving, got it?"

Shulk gave a rare, broad smile. "Of course, welcome to the team!"

* * *

_**AN- Light, you're welcome. There is Sonic in this story now. Er, this seems mandatory.**_

_Dark Pit and Shulk attained support level C!_

_(Or I guess since it's Shulk, Blue Circle Affinity?)_

_**Yeah, this was just meant to be about Shulk convincing Dark Pit to join the Starstorm Knights, but I was working on who was in the original Alchemist Knights, and this idea came into my head, so it happened. I made a full list of them too!**_

_**Star- Marc (Fire Emblem 7)**_

_**Fire- Captain Falcon (F-Zero)**_

_**Ice- Nana (Ice Climbers)**_

_**Blood- Fox (Star Fox)**_

_**Plant- Olimar (Pikmin)**_

_**Electricity- Samus Aran (Metroid)**_

_**Love- Ashley (Warioware)**_

_**Magic- Kumatora (Mother 3)**_

_**Metal- Eirika (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)**_

_**Air- Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)**_

_**Light- Dawn (Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum)**_

_**I'm not saying they'll ever show up, I just figured it was something I ought to put in the story, at least once or twice. Yeah, even when I've exhausted every single character represented in Smash, I still overload the team with Fire Emblem characters. But hey, now you people who wanted Samus/Captain Falcon/Sonic don't get to complain! I would have put Mega Man for Metal, but I don't really think the same plot happening twice for the same core would be a good idea, so it went to my favorite Fire Emblem Lord who is not in Smash. **_

_**So, chapterly question! The next Gaiden will either be Palutena's, Meta Knight's, Zelda's, or Lucas's. What do you want to see theirs' be about? I've already desided for Lucas, but I'm open to suggestion for the rest, and if you have a good idea for Lucas's, I'll try to work it into his. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_

_**PS, this chapter is definitely **not** called ASKG Pittoo in my computer.**_


	40. Gaiden Meta Knight- Warrior

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Nine- Meta Knight- Warrior's Tale_

The First Celestial War hadn't been kind to the Star Warriors. Their numbers had been greatly depleted by combat with the Star Eater's leaders, Marx most of all. He had been a nightmare to defeat, and in the end, it was one of the Star Warriors' greatest heroes, Galacta Knight who had landed the final blow on that menace. Meta Knight had been a young trainee of the Star Warriors at the time, and not a particularly skilled one at that. To be honest, he never got to be very skilled, he just happened to have an uncanny amount of luck.

Like many, he had admired Galacta Knight greatly. Knowing he was fighting in the same force that birthed such a legend, it was an honor to be sure. Of course, it was much less of an honor when the legendary warrior left the force and disregarded his homeland. He claimed he was unwilling to accept orders from a new, less experienced ruler when Rosalina ascended to the throne. It was a silly claim, to be sure, but it was his logic. Several of their number left with Galacta Knight, but Meta Knight did not consider it for a minute. Yes, he admired him, but that didn't change the fact that he had no problem with the star colony's new leader. Inexperienced? Perhaps, but Marc had been just as green when he took the throne.

Unfortunately, Rosalina did not stand for such a blatant show of disloyalty to the country, and insisted the turncoats rejoined at once rather than forming a group of mercenaries. They responded by attacking the Observatory. Meta Knight, like many others, was unwilling to attack their former allies. He'd known many of the traitors personally, and admired many others.

They never thought other enemies would take advantage of the civil war and unskilled leader, but they certainly did. Soon, the Observatory was facing threats from all manners of hostile beings who wanted nothing more than to wipe one of the last surviving colonies of many species off the face of the universe. Meta Knight would never quite understand why that was. Humans, angels, his own species, and many others all coexisted in this place in peace, defending themselves to the best of their ability. Sure it was a bit militaristic at times, particularly in regards to families, but it was safe, and Meta Knight wanted to defend it.

That desire was all that carried him through that bloody war. That, and knowing his friends had died to allow him to be there, was all that gave him the courage to go into that final battle, where Galacta Knight himself had joined the fray. It was terrifying, knowing he would be facing he who had for so long been a hero to him, and had legendary power to rival even the Alchemist Knights. Meta Knight made peace with his impending death, though. He didn't fear it if it would help bring peace to his homeland.

In the battle, he clashed swords with those he once knew. Though he tried not to think about it, he was sure some of their blood got onto his Galaxia, that lovely blade that had gotten him that far. He felt he was failing it, for resigning to death. She deserved a better wielder, one strong enough to conquer fear. He decided in that battle he would try to give her one, try not to be a casualty of war. That mentality was all that got him through the night, all that led him to clashing swords with Galacta Knight.

Tales of his strength were not exaggerated. Even after years of war, he was still sharp, and the three other warriors Meta Knight fought alongside were felled by his power. Even years later, he was sure it was a fluke that he was able to slay the legendary hero. He had been worn down by fighting against so many skilled warriors at once, leaving Meta Knight a fine chance to run his blade through Galacta Knight's heart. Though he scarcely deserved the praise, he was hailed as a legendary hero after that, just as Galacta had been once. He'd ended the war, killed one of the finest warriors the cosmos had ever known, brought peace to his homeland. He was proud of what he'd done, but he still felt he didn't deserve being hailed as a hero.

After the war was over, there was no such thing as a Star Warrior. So many lives, many of those belonging to Star Warriors he had known, were lost. By the end of it, the population of the Observatory was halved, and his own species was on the verge of oblivion, with every member of his army wiped out but himself and a few others. He hated the fact that he was the one left, but he would go on as best he could. The only trainee that survived was a very young child named Kirby, and he decided to take responsibility for training him. The few that were left had sworn off battle forever, and Kirby's parents had been close allies of his, so it seemed no one else was better suited to the task.

Rosalina gave him a place in the castle where he could train Kirby. Of course, considering his youth, Kirby was far too young to become adept at swordplay, so Meta Knight focused his training on his unique brand of blood magic. He seemed to be able to imitate the skills of all he absorbed the genetic code of, a useful skill, to say the least. Of course, rather than using a blade to collect blood samples like most with similar skills, Kirby preferred using his inhalation skill to devour his foes, spitting them out after obtaining the necessary DNA sample. It worked, even if was a bit disgusting to watch.

Training Kirby seemed unnecessary after a point, his immaturity not allowing him to absorb much of his teachings. Meta Knight felt the world lost purpose after this, with his job essentially equating to Kirby's babysitter and Rosalina's errand runner. Luckily, something else entered his life at this point to give it a bit of color. A young boy named Shulk, a descendant of survivors of the Mechons' overtaking of an ill-fated colony, he was found to be capable of wielding a legendary blade who gave its wielder the ability to see into the future. Rosalina took him in and insisted Meta Knight work with him to master the blade.

This was far from easy, considering he was unable to touch the blade without a surge of pain running through him, and certainly unable to use its powers, but he could at least show him how to properly wield a blade in combat. He got quite good at using it on his own, and managed to find powers of it no one else could have even dreamed it had using an impressive knowledge of mechanics. But no matter how good he was able to get at using it as a weapon, Shulk was slow to master using it as a method of foresight. He was unable to control what he saw, and often saw things that sent his young mind into turmoil.

One night, the boy woke him up with his screams. Meta Knight ran in to assure he was alright, and saw the boy's blue eyes were giving him a bewildered look. It took quite a while to calm him down enough to be able to ask what it was he saw, but what he did say was enough to make even an old warrior like him scared. "This awful monster was attacking these people, I think they were my friends," Shulk had told him. "It looked like a giant caterpillar, but it was really scary. And you were dead."

"Did you see my death?", he had asked, wondering how he knew it with such certainty.

The boy shook his head to indicate that was not the case. "No, I mean, I've seen it before, but I knew you were dead because you weren't trying to protect us."

It almost hurt to hear the boy speak so highly of him. They hadn't known each other for long, but he already seemed to trust Meta Knight with his life. That scared him, but it also somehow made him happy. "I must have been, then," Meta Knight softly agreed. "If I wasn't trying to protect you from something like that, that would be the only explanation."

A smile came to Shulk's tearstained face. "Can you stand here until I fall back asleep?", he requested. "I- I don't think the bad dreams will try to hurt me with you around."

Meta Knight agreed, but as the sobs turned to slowed breaths, he felt as if the young boy was starting to be scarred greatly by that weapon of his. When morning came, he decided to let Rosalina know how it was affecting the child, but their discussion quickly turned to an argument. He believed the child should be given the freedom to not use the weapon until his mind was developed enough to handle its strain, but Rosalina was convinced that the lives saved by his visions already, and the countless others that could be as he learned to better record what he saw was well worth the pain to one child. It was a cruel decision, but Meta Knight could not say it was wrong of her to say it. Instead, he vowed to do as much as he could to protect the boy, and as he learned how Shulk had seen his death playing out, he vowed to make sure that did not happen, to show him the future he saw could be changed.

He was sure that was the case until Mr. L dealt the final blow to him, just as Shulk had foretold. Meta Knight was not upset at his death for his own causes, though. He had already had more time than he had counted on. The only thing he regretted was being unable to see Kirby's training through to the end, and being unable to stop Shulk's nightmares.

* * *

_**AN- Well, that was depressing. Poor Shulk, I really made his life awful, didn't I? And Meta Knight didn't have it too much better. I get it that Rosalina seems a bit cold, using Shulk's abilities without taking his own wellbeing into account, but remember she's a leader that was given distrust by her people from very early on in her reign, and she continued to be blamed by some for the civil war and further skirmishes, so she was probably desperate to do something for the good of her people. She made her decisions as a leader, not as any kind of guardian to Shulk. **_

_**So, chapterly question: alongside continued suggestions for what you want future Gaidens to cover, I'm curious how you lovely people view Rosalina. I kind of explained where I thought she was coming from, but that doesn't mean I don't feel bad for what that meant for Shulk. I'd like to hear what you think.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	41. Gaiden Lucas- Emotion

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Ten- Lucas- Emotion_

Lucas closed his eyes and slid down one of the few bare patches of brick wall in Zelda's laboratory, hitting the cold tile floor. He couldn't bear to look at the scene any longer. This day was one where everyone was suffering, and his eyes could not bear to see it, at least not without something to support them. That awful power he'd been forced to wield, perhaps it could do some good here.

Silently, he activated his core. With it, the blackness of his closed eyelids was no longer; it was filled with colorful flames. The blood-colored burst in front of him, if he wanted to, he could reach out and touch it with his own heart. It wouldn't make a difference. He knew all he would see in Red's heart was the resentment and loathing that had flared around him when the woman who had killed Claus had stood before him. Reaching into his mind then, he could see the exact reason he hated that woman, a reason he would never admit to himself. Red absolutely hated her for forcing him to play the hero for his friends and sister. That role, he hated it as much as Lucas did, but he didn't have the heart to say so.

The golden flame a bit to the side, it was burning brightly with some odd turmoil. Yes, on a day when one had seen as much death as they had, it was to be expected, but Marth seemed to be reacting almost violently. Vaguely, Lucas wondered what it was he was seeing, and reached out for him.

A wave of panic surged through him. He was ashamed of himself, he was a coward. Letting his heart bleed through like that when everyone else was already in such a state, that was not what a future king should do. He needed to be stronger, he needed to let everyone know that there was nothing wrong. But Link, it was all his fault his death had come so quickly, and he couldn't help but show remorse. The tears, surely they showed on his face. Even if they didn't, Ike had seen them, clear as day, when he'd foolishly thrown his composure aside in a fit of madness and broken down in his embrace. Ike… Why was it so difficult to think of him? His heart burned like Elfire, something was telling him to ignore everything this life had ever taught him and make that embrace never ending. This was the thing people called "love", was it not? It was truly lovely, but no, he could not let himself feel it. Becoming attached to another life would make him a poor king, certainly not the one his country deserved at such a tense time. He told that part of his mind to quiet itself, but it grew louder, a swelling in his ears.

"Ah, shut up, shut up, shut up!", Lucas suddenly cried, unable to maintain the connection for any longer. It was starting to hurt him to hold such strong emotions, such conflicting emotions. "Marth, just calm down, this isn't about you!", he yelled.

The world was no longer a blur of colors, but Zelda's laboratory, with that awful mechanical chimera-esque imitation of Link in front of him, and its technician working on a computer. With a glance to the side, he could see Marth holding onto the windowsill, his knuckles paper white. He stared at Lucas with confusion spattered across his face, alongside the frown he was fairly certain was permanent. "I didn't say a word," he remarked.

"And even if he had, it isn't any of your business if he's calm or not," Ike defended all too quickly. Lucas remembered his emotions as well from his attempt to control his body. He cared about Marth alone, and cared far too deeply for it to be anything less than love. Though Marth stayed quiet, Lucas was certain he very much wanted to tell him to be quiet.

"Would you kindly refrain from speaking, for the time being, I cannot lose concentration," Zelda demanded with her normal eerie calm. Lucas felt a smirk tugging at his lips. She would be an interesting one to read, and he hardly had anything else to pass the time while he waited for her to finish up with her device. He had already dozed off a few times, and he was frankly just ready for this all to be over so he could leave, even if it was to another horror. Without a word, he activated his core again and reached to the violet flame of Zelda's heart, if it could even be called that. Hardly anything flared in her heart, it was simply a tranquil ball of energy, save for a few stray sparks.

It was horribly cold in there, and very dark. From the looks of it, Zelda purposefully tried not to feel anything. Even so, a small cry came out every once in a while, but were shot down with great precision. For every "Link, I never wanted to lose my best friend," there was a "This is a chance to make a difference, it no longer matters how you might feel about it. This is for the universe's sake, a few casualties are to be expected."

This emotionless state, it was repulsive. Lucas drew his mind away at once. It was one thing to be numb from pain, but it was another to disregard it so coldly. With a chuckle, Lucas realized she was the polar opposite of himself, caring only to defend the world, but no one in it, even those she claimed to have cared for. Someone like him, who could care less what became of the world if the ones he loved could not see it, it made sense that he would dislike her. Horror set over him as he remembered Marth's thoughts. Was that what he wanted to do, shut down his emotions for the sake of the world? And yet he disliked Zelda as much as Lucas did. He must have either had serious double standards, not realized what he was doing, or the had same problem as Red. Self-loathing was an option as well, which would have made sense with what he had felt towards his actions.

Vaguely, Lucas could sense some other presence in the room as well. A small silver flicker, one coming from the core that had once belonged to Link. It was trying to escape, trying to feel something. It cried out in pain: "Please, don't leave me in here again! I want to live again!" Lucas couldn't help himself, he reached out to that voice.

That voice gave a small gasp. "You- you heard me. Hello, Lucas. That's your name, right?"

"Yes," he replied, the voice echoing from his own soul. "Who are you?"

"I don't know…", admitted the voice. "I used to be part of Link, and before that, well, I don't quite recall. It was a very long time ago, I think, and I was alone for such a long time. I liked being alive, even if it wasn't for very long."

Though he wasn't sure, he thought he could connect what he heard with Zelda's plan. She had been vague, but she wanted to trick the Metal core into thinking her robot was its wielder, into thinking it was Link. She mentioned trying to recreate Link, but she was so vague on that it made it sound as if she planned to convert her dead friend into a robot. This voice, was it Link, or was it what she was trying to trick into thinking Link was alive? "Zelda wants you to be alive," he stated, unsure if it was even true. Even if it wasn't, it would help her, and perhaps they could leave faster. "That's why she's making a machine, to give you a body so you can help us."

"Open your eyes, Lucas," the voice vaguely whispered. "If that's what you want to do I mean, and if it is, I would be forever grateful, please just open them."

If he opened his eyes, the power would overtake him, right? He still did as the voice said, and light filled his vision. Meeting his eyes with the lifeless shutters of Zelda's machine, he felt energy and emotion surging through him like a wave. This poor creature, condemned to live without feeling, just like its creator. It was like the chimeras of his home, like his brother, without a say, a voice, a heart. He couldn't let it be a tool for their use, it should be alive, right?

All of his energy and emotions seemed to solidify, an arrow pointed at the robot. It shot into it, with a pink flourish and silver burst. Vaguely, Lucas felt his core deactivate, but his eyes were shutting once more. Whatever he had just done, it had wiped a lot out of him. As the cold tile floor enveloped him, he thought he heard a "Thank you," but he couldn't be sure.

* * *

_**AN- Well, um, I'm sorry this wasn't with the proper chapter it should have been with. This is sort of a scene cut for time constraints and length issues, but it's important to read to understand Metal, Lucas, and Marth a bit better, and in a way Zelda, Ike, and Red. Just to clear things up, Metal is an Alchemist Spirit just like Dark Pit, but Zelda's programming and Lucas's attempt to give him a body made him not remember this and be part Link, in a way.**_

_**This will probably be the last of the Gaiden dump, unlike I previously said, as I don't think its important to see Zelda's or Palutena's right now. So, next chapter will probably be the start of Part Two. Anyways, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	42. Guardian

_Part Two- Prologue II- Flame_

_He looked at the body of the one he had loved, horribly broken by the attack he had taken to save his friend. Tears burned at his eyes, just as a jealous flame burned at his heart. Why did he have to die for someone else? He knew he cared about his friend, but he somehow felt that dying for him made that person somehow more important to him than he was. He hated the thought of it. He knew he shouldn't be jealous or angry that he had chosen to die for someone he cared about rather than for his sake, or better yet staying alive for his sake, but the fire still remained._

_The tears falling to the ground burned his very soul as the core around his neck seemed to grow hotter. He had seen this happen, he had known his time with the person he had given his heart to was limited, and still he had hoped to change it. Hope, he couldn't seem to find it anywhere anymore. Clenching that blade, a gift from the person who's body he cried over, he tore the amber core from his neck. He was told never to do such a thing, but perhaps if he was to break it open, the suffering would go away. If he reformed the world to fit his own wish, surely he would be able to see him again._

_Between his sobs, he placed the amber core on the ground and prepared to stab it with that cyan blade of light. It nearly met it, but the core instead began to shine brighter, black mist rising from it. He picked the core back up. No, it was foolish to give up so easily. This world, it should pay for what it did to someone so brilliant, it should pay…_

_As he returned the Star core to his neck, black spots danced in front of his vision. He couldn't recall anything more until much later, when the only person remaining he cared about's weapon clashed against his as he called out to him._

* * *

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty One- Guardian_

Once again, the Alchemist Knights found themselves in the midst of one of the most daunting tasks in all the cosmos: one of Rosalina's stupid tea parties. Ike found them to be annoying, but he kept his mouth shut. He hadn't eaten yet that day, and the food was pretty good. Besides, Marth seemed to enjoy himself just fine. Seeing him pretend to be composed while stirring at least twenty of those weird star-shaped candies into his tea, it was sort of adorable. And even if that was the only interesting part, there was always the chance Rosalina would finally be able to give him a straight answer when he asked what they needed to do next. Even though it was nice, staying at the castle for so many days, trying to 'help' Shulk and Zelda with their tests, it was boring him half to death.

With so little to do, it gave Ike far too much time to think. Mostly about Marth and his impending death, but about other things too. Like the fact that he was pretty sure if he got any less sleep he'd start to hallucinate, and be completely useless once they actually did get back into battle. Even though Lucina got mad at him every time she noticed his yawns, it didn't seem to get any better. He hadn't slept this poorly since after his mom's death, and even then, at least he'd been able to talk to Mist until both of them felt a bit better. But now, who was there to talk to? Certainly not Marth, and talking to Lucina would only make him admit that Marth was doomed. She didn't deserve to be burdened with such things. Ness had already been through enough, Red was incredibly irritating, Roy hated him, and he barely knew the rest of them. So, he was just left alone with his thoughts, which was probably the worst place to be.

As he finished the first half of the tea sandwich, Ike started to pick up the conversation Rosalina, Shulk, Zelda, and Lucina were having. With a slight grin, he nudged Marth, who was staring into the amber surface of his tea almost sadly. "Hey," he whispered pointedly. "I think they're talking about when we get to leave."

A small smile came to Marth's face as he turned his head towards the four at the head of the table. Ike leaned a bit closer, trying to pick up what they were saying.

"I'm really feeling like we might be on to something," Shulk declared. "From what I can gather from what Pit and Palutena have told me, and the mere fact that Palutena is no longer controlled by the Star Eaters, I think it might be possible to purify the other Celestial Guardians as well, but we'll have to go about it in a different way."

Purifying Celestial Guardians? That would be nice, he guessed. From the looks of it, they had all been someone close to one of them, and saving them could only help them. But what did he mean, 'in a different way'? Well, come to think of it, he probably just meant his Pyre wouldn't work on them.

"Yes," Zelda continued, flipping through a notepad. "I believe that is true. The Celestial Guardians seem to be protected by a much stronger spell than the normal Star Eaters, so it stands to reason that a much stronger way of dispelling darkness than the Purity Spells would be required to counteract it. Our current theory is that, judging by how Pit was able to dispel Palutena's darkness, it is likely that contact with someone close to them is required to reawaken them."

"Of course, it is just as likely a side effect of the memory block being destroyed," Shulk continued. "But we hope it's the former, considering it would be easier to replicate."

Rosalina nodded. "Very well. So, how exactly do you plan to test your hypothesis?"

"With an experiment, naturally," replied Shulk. Ike began to zone out, thinking they were going to start speaking in the garbled scientific speech his friend Elicina had sometimes used, but was pulled back in quickly with his next words. "Of course, we'll need the Alchemist Knights to capture a Celestial Guardian so we can test this."

"We're guessing that Pit probably can find something that belonged to Viridi," Lucina provided. "Considering she's working with the Star Eaters now, and granted she survived Peach's attack, if we were to Lodestar to her, we would probably be able to find one of the Celestial Guardians as well."

With a grin, Ike blurted out "Awesome, when can we leave?", eliciting a small sigh from Roy, who was sitting opposite him.

"We'd need quite a bit of planning before setting out on such a dangerous mission," warned Roy. "Without it, we could easily be walking into a death trap."

"That hardly matters," Marth stated calmly. "The longer we wait, the more people will suffer at their hands."

Hearing those words from Marth, even if they were in agreement with his own, they still stung a bit. He knew he was probably starting to obsess over it too much, but even thinking of Marth and death in the same train of thought was starting to just remind him that there would soon be a time when those blue eyes would be dull and forever closed, and his voice silenced forever. Thinking about it that way was hard, especially knowing that it wouldn't even be a noble death. A bloody death among hundreds; if someone as kind and noble as Marth was to go out, it really should, at very least, be some noble sacrifice worthy of him.

He was dragged out of his thoughts by Pit jumping out of his seat and violently exclaiming "Yes! Don't worry Shulk, we'll get a Celestial Guardian for you. Come on, let's go!"

"Pit, it would be best if you stayed here," Zelda ordered. "We still need to look into how best to connect to the Celestial Guardian, and if the method ended up having more to do with you than your connection with Palutena, it would be silly to put you in the front lines without a replacement lined up."

The angel frowned as he sat back down. "Alright, fine," he conceded. "Can I at least go find something of Viridi's? I think I know where something might be."

As Shulk gave a nod and Pit shot out of his seat, Rosalina said the words Ike had longed to hear for the past several days. "It would be best for you all to leave as soon as possible, so please make any preparations you must quickly."

Marth took a final sip of his highly sugared tea before he left, discreetly grabbing a small handful of the candies as he walked away from the long table. Ike followed, but stopped as he heard Shulk calling after him. "Ike, please wait a moment, I need to talk to you."

He turned around to face the blond. "Why?", he asked. Considering he hadn't actually spoken to him before without several others in the conversation as well, it was a valid question.

"I want to give you something. Hold out your wrist," ordered the seer. As he held it out, Ike attempted to repeat his question, but was cut off by a loud snapping noise as Shulk secured an odd black ring to his wrist. "This is a communicator I made," he explained. "With it, I'll be able to speak to you, even in other times and places, and you will be able to call me as well."

Another question escaped Ike's lips. This time, "Why me? I mean, Lucina's the leader, and-"

"Trust me, you were my fourth choice," Shulk admitted. "I was planning on giving it to Pit, before I realized he'd be staying with me, and after that, I wanted to give it to Roy, but I don't think that the communicator could quite withstand his transformations. I considered Marth as well, but we both know why that wouldn't work."

Though he was tempted to ask what he meant by that, the almost pitying look the seer gave him told Ike what he meant. "How do you know about that?", he asked.

"Oh, I've had the past fourteen years to research you lot," Shulk explained. "Marth was particularly interesting, with his tragic fate. You know, a lot of what I read called his fate a 'Tragic Love Story', with his death coming so soon after his marriage, but that's far more applicable to the two of you, isn't it?"

Something burned at his cheeks and his chest, his heart leaping up into his throat. Someone knew how he felt. Had anyone else noticed? Surely whoever had would have the good sense to keep their mouths shut about it and not let Marth catch on. "Really just for me, but how would you know that?"

Shulk simply pointed to his eyes. "I might have seen something. Still, that's part of the reason I'm giving it to you. You really don't need to be alone so often. We need to keep you sane as best we can. If Palutena slips, and I have a feeling she very well might, you'll be the only one left able to use a Purity Spell. If you were to fall into despair, we would be unable to save anyone from corruption and left horribly vulnerable."

"I'll do my best to not let that happen," Ike vowed. "Besides, I will find a way to save Marth."

Shulk gave an almost sorrowful smile. "I hope you do. Anyways, I think the others are probably ready to go by now. I- er, good luck."

"Thanks," Ike called as he left in the same direction he'd seen the others going. They were congregated in the hall, no one looking comfortable standing around in the least.

As he slipped in next to Marth, he felt icy eyes glaring at him. "What took you so long?", inquired Roy in an annoyed tone.

"Shulk just wanted to talk to me," he explained. "Anyways, ready to go?"

Pit held up a green bead bracelet. "See, I found something of hers. Er, she gave this to Palutena while she was in a coma, but I might have 'borrowed' it before you 'died'," he explained, putting air quotes around a few of the words. "Yeah, I know that was sort of horrible of me, but I just wanted something to remember you two by."

"It's alright, at least it's helpful now," Palutena assured him. "Viridi always really liked that bracelet, though. I sort of feel bad taking it from her."

"She's the enemy," Peach exclaimed. "We can't feel bad for her. Now, let's go track her down, shall we?"

With a nod, Pit handed the bracelet to Marth and took a few steps back, while the rest of them moved in closer. "Lodestar!", Marth called out, golden light filling the room, blinding him.

* * *

_**AN- Well, welcome to Part Two! We get a new prologue, another POV from Ike, and an actual goal! See, actual progress! The prologue, it will make sense in time. Well, time and speculah. Got to love the speculah.**_

_**Speaking of speculah, here's the chapterly question: What the crap do you think was up with the prologue. From what you can see, can you sort of gather who it might be about? Is it the past or future? I think I can guess who you'll think it's about, but you're probably wrong. Unless you're right, in which case, I need to be a bit more subtle about things. I'll just tell you this: there is a big hint to the identity of at least one of the characters, but it isn't which one you think it is.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	43. Vines

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty Two- Vines_

Light cleared, revealing an odd village spotted with mushroom-esque houses. A broad smile came to Peach's face: after everything that had happened, she was home. One of the Toads, a pink-capped girl with braids named Toadette noticed them and called out to her with an odd note of urgency in her voice and a terror-stricken look in her eyes. "Miss Peach! You've returned!"

Peach scanned the area. Toad Town was far too quiet. It was normally busy and crowded, filled with friendly faces when the sky was this blue and bright. "Miss Toadette," she greeted softly, taking pains to be polite. With how shaken up she looked, it wasn't difficult to imagine the girl bursting into hysterics if she came on too strong. Searching for the best way to phrase it, she carefully inquired "While I was gone, did something happen?"

The young Toad girl gave a grave nod, quivering. "Y-y-yes!", she exclaimed, her voice wavering. "S-something a-a-awful happened! Bowser has i-i-invaded the Mushroom Kingdom! A-almost everyone's f-fled already, even your father, but e-even then we c-can't be s-sure they're safe!"

"'Bowser', that's who we fought with Mario and Luigi before we saved you, right?", questioned Roy.

Oh, right. Mario had mentioned that, hadn't he? Bowser had been after her once more, and perhaps even captured her, but she barely remembered any of that. "Yes, I believe so," Peach provided, adding "Granted, I wasn't really in a state where I could remember that…" under her breath. Turning back to Toadette, she inquired "Do we know why he's invaded?", forcing her face not to show her annoyance.

"N-n-not entirely, ma'am," admitted the young girl. "There are r-rumors he's w-w-working with s-someone, b-b-but-"

A pale-looking coil of vines suddenly ensnared Toadette. "Those rumors are only partially true," explained a voice behind them. The Alchemist Knights turned, finding themselves only a few feet away from Viridi and several others, including a quartet of Magikoopas and a number of other creatures she had encountered numerous times, thanks to Bowser. The plant mage bore a different staff this time, which was topped by some odd wooden figure that resembled some odd beast rather than a rose, yet her sleeves were still torn and crimson-stained from where the vine spear had ran through her shoulder. Peach cringed at the thought, and tried not to allow her eyes to look at her enemy any further, lest she see the wound she had left.

"Hello, Viridi," greeted Lucina, bearing an air of calculated confidence. Peach was almost certain she'd made some sort of plan for approaching their enemy, given her attitude. "Palutena snapped out of whatever spell the Celestial Guardians put her under, and she's on our side now."

"So I've heard." Viridi gave a small frown, and Peach found her eyes accidentally scanning over her shoulder. What she saw of it looked unnaturally red, making her stomach do a small flip. "It's unfortunate she didn't see who she was really helping before blindly deciding to join your cause, but it's not really any of my concern at the moment."

An irritated noise came from the Knight of Time. Had she been attempting to get Viridi on their side? Peach knew it would have been good for them to have such a powerful ally, but she was almost glad that plan had been shot down. Working alongside someone she nearly killed would have been painful, to say the least. "Very well then," Lucina forced out, her voice sounding as if it was fighting to stay steady. "Tell me, are you here alone, or is a Celestial Guardian planning to spring at us from behind?"

As Viridi scoffed something close to "Do you really think I'd tell you that?", Toadette let out another small scream of terror. The vines that were holding her up, Peach had been able to control them before, so surely she'd be able to free the Toad. She muttered the incantation under her breath, unsure if she could activate it without shouting. To her surprise, it worked, and she strained her mind, attempting to unravel the vines coiling around the girl. Somehow, they seemed to be fighting back less than last time, her control of them being much greater and more fluid.

Perhaps too fluid, as she found herself overshooting her movements greatly. Without something to fight against her, the vines coiled around Toadette the opposite way as they were released from their previous state, shooting every which way. As she gradually attempted to direct the vines, one of their pointed ends started to make its way towards one of the Magikoopas, sending surges of panic running through the Knight of Plant. She couldn't hurt someone, not even an enemy. This power, she couldn't use it without hurting someone, could she? She attempted to veer the end of the vine away from the Magikoopa, but instead sent it flying up towards Toadette, who was barely suspended in the air by a few loose vines.

At that point, she lost control of the vines completely, panic and fear overtaking her. Thankfully, the Toad girl managed to avoid them by clinging onto the end of one, but Peach found herself unable to regain control of them. Not even attempting to summon vines of her own would work. She was probably too terrified of her near-murders with the attack to use it at all.

"Nice try," taunted Viridi. "But your aim is off. Judging by how you can't even shoot an easy target properly, I'd doubt you even capable of using the attack for an ally. Even so…"

A duo of Parakoopas appeared in the air and grabbed Toadette by her braids, dragging her off as Viridi released the vines. A myriad of attacks shot at the Parakoopas, but they were unable to reach them as they gained altitude. The girl's terrified shrieks turned Peach's blood to ice water. If it hadn't been for her lack of skill with her attacks, she could have been saved.

"What do you need with her?", questioned Ness. "She didn't try to hurt you, so why did you take her?"

Viridi simply gave a motion to the Magikoopas, who flickered from their position on the ground to a roughly square-shaped formation in the sky. "That's nothing you need to worry about. Now, watch this."

In near-perfect synchronicity, they gave a wave of their wands and a violet cube seemed to form above them, translucent and glassy. Steadily, it grew larger as they flew further apart while still maintaining formation. This continued until the sky seemed to be covered by the violet glass, the Magikoopas nowhere in sight. Then, very suddenly, it came hurdling towards them, the Alchemist Knights flinching at the prospect of getting crushed by such a thing. Though Peach wondered vaguely why they'd do such a thing, she never felt a cool surface come crashing down on her body. Curious, she opened her eyes to find the sky was still covered in purple. However, the ground seemed to be as well, and if she strained her eyes, she could barely see a violet wall in the distance.

"Great, Viney ran off," Red groaned. Peach only wondered who he was referring to for a moment before noticing Viridi was no longer present.

"I doubt this barrier was only set up as a distraction, though," Lucina mused. A barrier, that was most likely what the violet cube was. Even so, Peach wondered what kind of barrier it could possibly be.

This question didn't remain for long, though, as she found herself jumping, startled by Lucas's sudden observation of "The clouds have stopped moving."

She found herself gazing at the now indigo sky, seeing truth in his statement. It seemed oddly still, almost eerily so. "Let me try something," Lucina proposed, grabbing an odd, butterfly-shaped object out of her pocket and tossing it into the air. "Freeze!", she called out as it neared the peak of its height. It simply fell to the ground with a sharp thud, no hint of her spell having any effect on it whatsoever.

A confused look filled Lucina's face for only a brief moment before she picked the object up and looked at Roy. "Okay, try your core, let's hope this barrier hasn't dampened our powers."

With a nod, the red-haired boy called out "Sheet!", causing a stream of ice to shoot from his hand and solidify along the ground.

"Yours works, so it must be that I cannot freeze time for a different reason. I believe the barrier caused time to freeze inside of this area," hypothesized Lucina. Peach found herself unable to disagree, even if it seemed a bit ridiculous. "But testing that would be difficult. Might anyone know-"

Ike suddenly let out a small noise of frustration. "This stupid communicator thing, it says it's calling him, but it's not doing anything!", he complained.

"I guess that confirms my theory," Lucina sighed. "We just need to figure out why they stopped it and how to deactivate it now."

"Isn't that probably why they stopped it?", Red provided. "I mean, if we can't call for help, and we probably can't leave the area either, then we're a lot easier to deal with, right?"

Lucina suddenly looked a bit embarrassed, as if she felt stupid for not having thought of that earlier. "Er, yes, of course."

Peach almost felt a little bad saying it, but she still added "And I believe we can deactivate the spell by defeating the Magikoopas who cast it."

"Yes, of course!", the Knight of Time explained. "So, Peach, Red, and um, Lucas and Ness, you four go try to find and dispatch- I mean dispose of the um, Magi- Magi- er, enemies, and the rest of us will stay here and attempt to track down Viridi."

"How can you stay here and track down Viridi at the same time?", Ness asked, and Lucina turned a bright shade of crimson, though she didn't say anything else.

Peach was sure something was on that girl's mind, and though she didn't particularly want to ask what, she knew it was stressful. To save her any further embarrassment, she grabbed Ness's wrist and started to drag him towards one of the corners of the barrier. "She'll manage. We should go ahead and leave, the sooner we track them down, the better."

She heard two more pairs of footsteps following them, and hoped perhaps some time with just her friends might help the girl recover a bit.

* * *

_Prologue III- Finite_

"_So, you say tomorrow will be our end?"_

"_I hope I'm wrong. But yes, that's what I saw, at least."_

"_Is that really all you can see?"_

"_It's hard to control your device, even now. I can't see anything clearly as is. Honestly, I don't think even the Star core is enough to power it."_

"_Oh, stop. It's not my fault! You're just not looking hard enough."_

"_Stop joking, this is hardly the time."_

"_Really? I was under the impression that you needed a good laugh. Maybe I'm not the right one to do this."_

"_You're fine, I'm just not really in the mood. If what I saw was correct, this the last time we'll ever be together like this. I want to be alone with you forever, and if this is all I get, I want to enjoy it."_

"_Use your time-manipulation and stop time, then. Surely that core of yours can do something like that."_

"_I wish it could. Honestly, if I didn't have to worry about running out of time to spend with you, I wouldn't fear our inevitable doom, so long as we faced it together."_

"_Yeah, I'm not scared either, I guess. Just a little disappointed I never got to work out all the bugs with your stupid core."_

"_Of course that would be your dying regret."_

"_Well, and had I known earlier it was my last meal I might have asked the Lumas to make something better for dinner."_

"_Again, not really in the mood for a laugh."_

"_Alright, then. What do you want to talk about, then? Make some sort of plan for tomorrow?"_

"_Honestly, with what we're up against, I don't think any amount of strategy could save us. I don't care what we talk about, I just want to hear your voice as much as I can."_

"_It's weird thinking that tomorrow at this time we'll probably both be long gone. It's a shame, too. If we had lived longer, we could have really done something great. The two of us together, I'm sure we could have come up with something brilliant. Don't know what it would have been, and I guess we'll never get to find out."_

"_I sort of wanted to have a family, you know? Maybe adopt a kid or two. And I would have liked my father to meet you, or to take you to mother's grave. I think that's something people do. And I really would have liked to marry you someday."_

"_You're thinking about an actual life and I'm just thinking about some project. I wonder if we would have always been like this, or if maybe I would have caught on and learned how to have an actual life someday."_

"_Doubtful. I- I wouldn't want to see you try to be normal. Somehow when I imagine a future with us together I just can't quite picture it how I always pictured my life before I met you."_

"_Not enough things going wrong or something?"_

"_No, I just can't imagine you not trying to refine some weapon or put together some fantastic device from random scraps I can barely figure out the origin of."_

"_Well, you don't really seem like the type to just stay in one place for long either."_

"_Yeah, I guess so. Maybe it just would have gone on like this forever."_

"_I wouldn't have minded if it had."_

"_Nor would I."_

* * *

_**AN- So sorry, I meant for this to be up ages ago, but I got sick and couldn't really write this. It wasn't all wasted time, though, considering I started replaying a few Mario games to prepare me for the next few chapters. But, hey, we're at a hundred reviews now! That's why you got another part of the Prologue so early. Yes, I'm going to be adding more pieces of the Prologue at the end of some chapters and Gaidens, and yes, it will eventually start to make more sense. The Prologue is connected, but not really in chronological order, and some pieces will be left out until it won't be revealing way too much. **_

_**So, chapterly question: do you like me kind of having a second story that runs parallel to the main one? I mean, they definitely are connected, and it will start to make more sense as to how they are as more things are revealed. Heck, I'm afraid this one will reveal a bit too much to anyone paying too much attention or who knows what it is I'm referring to in some parts, but I don't want to jump around too much in the ordering. I actually did skip one of the Prologue pieces in fear it would reveal too much, as this one only reveals something if you really know what you're looking for. It'll be with Ike's Gaiden, I think. And I would love to hear if any of your theories have changed since last chapter. Also, do you mind not seeing quite as much of Lucina's POV? Well, I'm pretty sure it'll be in the next chapter, but it still won't be in nearly every chapter like in Part One.**_

_**Anyways, thanks for reading, all of you! It really does mean the world to me that you all like my story so much, and I am so grateful to each and every one of you. Sorry, too much? –Twilight Joltik**_


	44. Obligation

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty Three- Obligation_

Lucina gave a small sigh as their team split. She really had messed up. Shulk's ideas had been good, but she hadn't known what to do when their path deviated from them. The seer hadn't said it directly, but he had given her cryptic warnings on their future, and seemed to imply she needed to stay strong to give everyone else reassurance. He wasn't wrong, given that was a leader's goal, but she was hardly up to it. In the past days, she had been given far too much time to think about what she had found herself caught up in, and the conclusions she had arrived at scared her more than she would admit. She wanted to protect her friends, but this world was dangerous and two of their allies had already met their ends. If she thought too long about what Shulk had implied in conjunction with that, she became horribly afraid that she would be unable to stop someone from dying in front of her.

She needed to relax, needed to be stronger and support her team, but she had already failed miserably at that. The second she stopped having a guide, she seemed to collapse under the weight of her own responsibility. Why was that? She had always been able to protect Morgan and her friends, but was her failure now the fault of raised stakes, or her own incompetence? Regardless, she needed to overcome it, to be stronger to protect people now that far more would be lost if she were to fail.

"Miss Lucina, are you alright?", Marth asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Jumping a bit from the sudden transition from her own thoughts to reality, she found her hand tightening around her blade as she saw Ike and Roy engaging a number of Star Eaters in combat. She began to take a step forward and jump into the battle, but she was stopped by the prince's voice. "Please, hold back for a moment. I need to speak to you, and this is a better time than any I have gotten, as of late," he requested.

"Of course, what did you need to talk about?", she asked.

Marth inhaled sharply before beginning to speak, as she did quite frequently when talking about something she wanted to be over quickly. "Please just know that what I am about to say in no way is a criticism of any of your abilities or due to any contempt on my part," he began.

Lucina felt herself dreading his reprimand on the state of her leadership skills, but what followed was much different than what she had expected. "I truly do enjoy assisting you, but I cannot help but fear I am abandoning my station by staying with you for such an extended amount of time. Truly, I do not believe it is in the best interests of myself or my kingdom to stay with you for much longer, but I know my assistance is needed, especially keeping the power of the Star core in mind."

What could she even say to that? That she didn't want him to leave because she considered him a friend? That they couldn't afford losing anyone, and he of all people was incredibly vital to their wellbeing? Something else popped into her mind as a burst of blue flame flared up in the distant crossfire, and what came out was something close to "But Ike-"

The confusion settling across the prince's face caused her to realize exactly what she had just said, and guilt settled over her. How could she have let something so private as her ally's hidden affections slip like that? She quickly amended her statement. "Ike, Roy, all of us would be saddened to see you leave, but I suppose when you came with us we agreed you could leave at any time. Er, could you at least elaborate on what you mean by saying being with the Alchemist Knights hurts your kingdom?"

"I fear if I remain like this my loyalties will no longer lie with my country, but with this army," Marth admitted. "I know your cause is just as worthy as any of mine, but I also know I have responsibilities elsewhere. This might be hard for someone of your time period to relate to, but your loyalties to your family seem to be immense. If the people you wanted to be around distracted you from attending to them, would you not attempt to rectify that and distance yourself from those people?"

What exactly did he mean? It took her a moment to register that he was trying to ask what she would do in his scenario, as if asking for assurance his views were correct. Considering it for a moment, she inhaled sharply, barely registering she was repeating his own actions earlier. "In other words, you're asking if I would feel obligated to those who needed me rather than those I chose to be around?" He nodded. "Well, perhaps, and most certainly if my family was in some form of danger, but Altea is fairly peaceful, right?"

He gave a bitter sort of chuckle. "Hardly. Political relations are tense at best, and my father may hardly be fit to carry out his duties in such a strained state for much longer. Not to mention I have come of age and should start to consider to whom marriage would bring the most stability, and my people look to me for guidance even in minute tasks. In all honesty, I can barely afford to give much more of my life to another cause without fear of favoring it over the one I was born into performing."

"I- I understand your misgivings, but I hardly think we could afford to lose you. There isn't anyone else who could perform your task here either, and time doesn't have to pass in Altea during your absence," she countered.

A lost sort of look filled Marth's eyes for a brief moment before he gave a sorrowful smile. "Ah, but if I may shy from responsibility for as long as I would like, what is there to stop me from running for the rest of time?"

There was nothing to say to that, mostly because Lucina was puzzling over how it came to be about any fear of his own of taking on those tasks, and wondered if perhaps that was his true dilemma. Or perhaps he feared becoming attached to the Alchemist Knights and growing to resent his obligations? Which, it was impossible to tell. "As for the Star core, I will ask Shulk whenever we leave this place," Marth concluded, unsheathing his rapier and pointing it towards one of the Star Eater creatures engaged in combat with the other two. "Strike!", he called, sending golden energy piercing through its body.

Lucina followed him into the fight. As much as she hated to disrespect his choice, she knew she couldn't allow him to leave in the middle of their own war. Still, while time was halted, there was nothing to do about it but hope something or someone else could convince him otherwise.

* * *

Ness was unsure of the logic behind the Star Eaters' freezing of time. From what he could gather, it must have been another attempt to single out the Alchemist Knights as targets, much like Grima's attack. The very thought that it might be similar made his blood boil. If more innocent people were being condemned for the sake of hurting them, he knew it was silly for him to think in such a way, but he would much rather them just attack them a bit more directly. At least that way they would be the direct targets, and he could have a better way to stop it.

Nearing the edge of the violet barrier, it was clear to see the Alchemist Knights were the only possible targets. After all, hardly anyone else was in the area, which was maybe a square mile at most. From the head of their group, he heard a sharp cry from Peach, who stopped in her tracks. It took him a moment to catch up, but as he did, he could see one of the blue-robed creatures that had cast the spell to set the barrier. An strange tube was attached to its back, an odd green fluid flowing into it.

The creature noticed the four as they approached, but didn't so much as flinch as Red produced one of his "Poké Balls" from his belt and tossed out his "Squirtle". With a cry of "Water Gun!', it shot a liquid stream at the creature. It finally reacted as it was pelted with the jet, and gave a wave of his red-tipped staff. An odd shot of red, blue, and green shapes flew towards Red's Pokémon, but did little as it hit the creature.

"That all you got?", Red taunted. "Waterfall!" The blue turtle rose up on a stream of water, knocking the Star Eater away, the odd tube being knocked loose. It barely fought back as Peach walked over to the toppled creature and shot a petal blast at it, the impact turning it to dust. The purple barrier seemed to fade a bit, just as its caster had.

A slight frown crossed the woman's face as she picked up the tube, the green liquid oozing over the sides and down her hand. "This liquid, I don't think I've seen anything like it before," she remarked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it looked like a Toad's blood, but with how much of it there is, that seems unlikely."

"If it was blood, couldn't Red use it?", Ness suggested. "I mean, aren't you supposed to be able to use blood in some way? If it really was frog blood-"

"A Toad's blood, as in creatures like Toadette, the girl from earlier," Peach corrected. "Not in any relation to the amphibian."

Embarrassment burned red at his cheeks. "R-right," he muttered. "What was it you were supposed to be able to do with blood again?"

"Somethin' about transforming into whoever I get a blood sample of," Red provided as he took the tube from Peach. The pomegranate-colored core was quickly swiped across the liquid pooling on Red's hand, glowing an odd color. With a lurch, Red backed away from the tube as a bright light came from his core, blinding Ness for a moment.

The light cleared, and a creature not unlike the one Peach had attempted to save earlier stood before them. However, instead of simply having a pink and white cap, its appearance fluctuated wildly. The cap morphed from red to white to pink and the spots were flipping through the color spectrum so quickly it hurt Ness's eyes to look at for too long. Its clothing fluctuated just as rapidly, and the faintest outlines of braids like Toadette's flickered at its sides. The only consistency was their bright red pupils, much like those Red took on while using his powers.

Peach made an awful noise as the creature Red had turned into cried out in pain. Lucas, who Ness had almost forgotten was there, rushed towards it and ripped the red pendant away from its hand, causing the transformation to fade away and Red to return to normal. "Okay, that was weird," Red commented, awfully casual about the whole thing, given how only seconds ago he'd been writhing in agony. "I'm guessing I must have gotten blood from a bunch of people at once, what do you think?"

Silence came from all of them, until Peach cried out "But why would they have been pumping Toad blood into that Magikoopa?"

"And where would they have gotten all that blood in the first place?", Ness added, even if he didn't want to know the answer.

Lucas was the one to provide the answer. "I hear voices crying out underground…"

* * *

_**AN- Well, that got dark. Actually, if you've ever played Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time (which I actually haven't), you might recognize that I "borrowed" the concept of the Toad blood thing from the Shroobs, who used Toad's life force to power their machines. I just changed it to blood so I'd get a chance to show off the Pomegranate Core's transformation powers. **_

_**So, chapterly question: From the point of views we're given, we can see the whole reason behind Marth's freak-out, and the repercussions his departure would have. So, what do you think will come of it? Weird question, but I just really like to know how well I'm setting up the dominoes of plot to fall, and if you lovely people can see how exactly they will fall. And that was a weird analogy. Just keep telling me predictions about Teh Plot, alright?**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	45. Laughter

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty Four- Laughter_

The communicator gave an odd blip as the golden light of Lodestar cleared from the room, and the small display on it showed Ike's current coordinates on the time-space plane. Shulk noted the numbers that came up, in case they might be required to extract them or come in for back up.

A small noise came from Palutena, a sorrowful one. "Viridi's my problem, so shouldn't I be the one to go after her?", she questioned behind him.

Shulk whirred around to face her and replied with a shake of the head. Zelda, however, was the one to provide the answer: "It would be foolish to put both capable of using Purity spells in danger at once, as if something were to happen, we would have no way to heal any corrupted allies."

Her bluntness was useful, Shulk noted. It made people feel less like they were talking to a person and rather to a machine. It was almost funny how the mechanical boy she had created to wield the Metal core was more expressive than his creator. If he wanted to elicit any results in the future with that event he was desperately hoping they could avert, he'd need to utilize that ability of hers for himself.

With a nod, Palutena returned to her normal persona. "So, what's with the bracelet you gave Ike?", she asked him, casting her green-eyed gaze at his communicator. "I mean, matching bracelets usually only means friendship for ten year old girls, so I'm guessing it's a bit deeper than that. Not exactly what I'd call good taste, but it's the thought that counts, I suppose."

Despite his annoyance, he still felt his cheeks burning. "It's a communicator so I can keep in touch with the others, and I chose Ike to keep track of it simply because he seemed to be the best choice," he explained, trying to keep his eyes off of Palutena's sly grin. "Absolutely no romantic intentions behind it."

"Of course not!", Palutena suddenly exclaimed. He noted out of the corner of his eye that her grin was growing wider and being pierced by a few chuckles. "Besides, I'd think Pit would be jealous if you liked Ike better than him."

"P-Palutena!", Pit stuttered out, clearly caught off guard by Palutena's sudden swipe and quickly turning red. "N-no! It's nothing like that! Shulk and I are just friends, I swear!"

A loud laugh came from the Knight of Light. "'Just friends'?", Palutena repeated. "If I remember correctly, Lucas said without you, Shulk would have gone mad years ago."

A sharp pang pierced through his chest. That was at least partially right. All those visions that would echo in his head over and over, some days he didn't feel like he was even alive anymore due to them. Pit helped him forget that, but the fact was that the things that plagued his nightmarish visions were drawing closer to becoming a reality. "I'm pretty sure he did," came a deadpan from the shadows, piercing his thoughts. Though he didn't step out, he was sure a certain dark-winged angel was nearby.

"Pretty much," Shulk agreed, attempting a light laugh. "Being a shut-in for so long can really do a number on your mental health. Seriously though, I think I talked to my pencils as often as I did Kirby before Pit came around."

Everyone was fully aware he was trying to change the subject; he could almost feel their eyes piercing though his laughing veil. "Speaking of Kirby," Dark Pit finally groaned, breaking that awful awkward feeling of knowing no one bought your lie. "Make him leave me alone, now."

"Just leave him be, he'll move on to something else eventually," Pit advised. "Besides, can you really blame him? I mean, after Meta Knight…"

He trailed off, and another wave of sorrow hit Shulk. Meta Knight, even if the halls of the palace were so much more lively with the Alchemist Knights around, they still felt empty without his presence. It was painful to think it would never be felt again, but even so, Shulk had other things to worry about, as to not let his sacrifice be in vain.

Kirby's voice finally entered the room: "I miss Meta Knight," he lamented. "Pittoo, you have cool wings like he did. Can you fly me around like he used to sometimes?"

Sharp hissing came from Dark Pit, who finally stalked out of the shadows. "No, I cannot, because someone," he cast a ruby glare at Pit. "Isn't good at that. And another thing, don't call me that!"

"Is Dark Pit really that much better," Palutena countered. "I mean, that's not really a name."

"And Pittoo is?", snarled Pit's clone. "Really, think of something better, won't you!"

Silence permeated the room, as if everyone was trying to think of what to say next. They all came out at once, sounding something like "I still think-maybe Light-Pittoo's good-it does not matter-think of something yourself, then!", the volume of which was a bit grating.

Almost without note, another voice entered the room. "I do not recognize you, so why should I give you a name?", it softly asked. It was one Shulk couldn't place, yet one almost painfully familiar. Turning his head, he saw a lone figure in a dark cloak and hood, face covered by a pointed mask. Automatically, his fingers curled around the Monado and readied the blade for battle.

"Please relax, I only want a word," Grima insisted, taking a few steps towards them. He held no weapon in his hand, though his Levin Sword was within view, and countless tomes were likely hidden under those dark robes. "Alchemist Knights, I have no intent to harm you at this moment."

Very suddenly, the world lurched into a faded state. Images flashed before Shulk's eyes; a brief scene of blood pouring from a wound on an arm. A golden pendant falling to the ground in a flash of light. A lifeless body clutching a blade in one hand. An unfamiliar woman with a green ponytail lunging forward with a blade. The final image was a familiar one, but it wasn't any less obscured than it normally was. Someone was lying lifeless in his arms, someone he felt as if he should recognize but could not place, no matter how hard he tried.

The vision dissolved, and things were just the same as they had been, yet Grima looked oddly intrigued. "Ah, yes," he muttered, the little that could be seen of his eyes shining with entrancement. "The Star Seer's ability to see the tragedies the future, I've always wanted to see it."

"You did see it," he corrected. "I had a vision when we were fighting last time, but you didn't say a word of it."

He kept approaching closer, and yet Shulk couldn't find the nerve to run his blade through him. Something about him was interesting to him, made him feel both uneasy and fascinated, and he wasn't about to start a battle with him before he figured out what this was. "'Last time'?", Grima repeated. "But this is the first time I've had the pleasure to meet you, my dear. I suppose that is the disadvantage of having access to time travel; you're bound to get things mixed up whenever it comes time to rendezvous with someone else with the same ability."

"Why are you here?", questioned Pit, pointing an arrow to the Celestial Knight's head. "And how did you get in here without someone noticing?"

Noting the angel's aggression, Grima brought his hand to the hilt of his sword. Shulk prepared to use his own blade's Shield power to block an attack to his friend, but found nothing of the sort occurred. Instead, a sharp metallic crash hit the marble floor, leaving Grima weaponless. "As I said, I only wanted to talk to you all on civil terms," he insisted. "I have disarmed myself, so might I ask you all to extend me the same privilege?"

Another metal crash came from Pit, followed by the heavy thud of Palutena's staff and a small whirring as Metal retracted a blade from his body. Shulk placed the Monado at his back once more, knowing full and well dropping it all together would be silly when his enemy still had his magic at his disposal.

"I thank you," stated Grima curtly. "Now, as for what I wanted to discuss; it has come to my attention that you," he took a step closer to Shulk, who could feel his eyes cutting into him, even behind the mask. "Happen to hold a piece of the Star core. You know well that the three work far differently than the rest of the Alchemy cores, I presume?"

"Yes…" was his answer, not wanting to say any more than he had to. What was he playing at?

An odd smile crossed Grima's face. "Well, I would only like to suggest that perhaps due to their different mechanics, the three pieces are interchangeable."

If his goal was to confuse Shulk, it was working. What was he playing at? Was he trying to give him advice? And if so, what was he talking about? "Meaning?", he prompted.

"You could just as easily take on the powers of the Time or Sky core as Mar-Mar could the Monado," Grima explained. "It's only a theory, of course, but I thought it kind to inform you of this."

Palutena suddenly burst into laughter. "Excuse me, 'Mar-Mar'?", she tittered. "That's brilliant, I'm sure if you can give something that great to that stick in the mud, you could give a great name to the sourpuss over here."

As Dark Pit let out a tone of annoyance, Grima suddenly turned bright red and took a few steps back. "I said no such thing!", he insisted. "I- I shall see you on the field of battle, and do not expect me to be so cordial next time!"

Picking up his sword, he suddenly vanished as suddenly as he appeared, leaving Shulk wondering what exactly had just happened. It took him a moment to realize his heart had been pounding, though from fear or something different he could not tell.

* * *

_**AN- Yeah, I didn't feel like writing the chapter I was supposed to write, but I knew you guys needed a chapter, so have something light hearted-ish! Yeah, I'm not sure what just happened either, but perhaps I left some bigger cues in here than you might think.**_

_**So, chapterly question: what do you think Grima's connection to the other Alchemist Knights is. Just wondering what you think.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	46. Jumpstart

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty Five- Jumpstart_

In response to Lucas's eerie utterance, Peach took a few steps to the green-leaking tube and began to tug on it, as if to pull it out of the ground. "It must be attached to something," she muttered to herself as she pulled, though it did not move an inch. Ness quickly rushed to her side, grabbing onto the clear tube and attempting to add to her efforts, but the strain he felt in his arms told him it had no intentions of moving.

"Let go of that, I've got an idea that's actually worth a Patrat," Red ordered. Peach cast a glare at him, but Ness was more confused at what it was he meant. Almost involuntarily, he found his hands snapping off of it and his feet several paces back. He was sure Lucas had done something to make him do that, but this wasn't something he could confirm, let alone accuse him of.

With a smirk, Red stepped forward and pointed his Squirtle towards the small hole in the ground the tube was coming from. "Use Dig!", he commanded, and the blue turtle began to claw at the earth, widening the hole with every swipe.

In only a few moments, a gaping black pit had swallowed the tube. Peering down into it, Ness could vaguely see a sickly green glow coming from below. From the looks of it, the drop wasn't that deep, and he was sure he could faintly hear the agonized cries Lucas had spoken of. What would he find down there? Another death-powered machine like Grima had used, or something even worse? He didn't want to find out, but if it truly was something like that, he owed it to Paula and the others they couldn't save back then to at least try. Biting the inside of his mouth to keep his head from feeling faint, he took a few more steps back and ran straight for the hole, practically leaping into the abyss.

A cry of "Hey, wait up!" followed him, almost certainly belonging to Peach, unless Lucas's vocal range was a bit higher than he'd realized. She was followed by the sound of Red returning his Pokémon and a bright, hollow laugh of "Don't leave me out!" then a dark mutter of "You all truly are idiots".

The impact of the ground was hard and painful, but not as much as Ness might have thought it to be. The green glow was plain to see now, as it was being faintly emitted from a row of glass tubes that were probably six feet tall and a meter wide. Ness truly didn't want to see what was contained within, but Peach's horrified screech made it impossible to keep his eyes off of them.

Each contained a few lifeless looking bodies of creatures much like the girl who Viridi had kidnapped, and small tubes were attached to each. Tubes coming from each tank funneled into a larger collection vat on the ceiling, reminding Ness with a sick lurch of the violet crystal absorbing energy from bodies scattered about it. But these Toads, they looked less alive than Paula had on that awful day.

"Is this some sort of factory, draining them of their lifeforce to sustain the barrier?", Peach mused. "But this can't all be blood; it would take hundreds or thousands to produce that much, so it must be diluted with something else."

At that moment, Ness wanted to yell at her for being so insensitive about the whole thing, but in the faint reflection of her in the glass tubes, he was certain he saw tears streaming down her face. "It's cut with some sort of preservative," Red answered casually, as if he were telling of the forecast the next day. "At least, that's what it felt like to me; like I was being mummified alive."

Those Toads, were some still alive? They must have been, if Lucas had sensed their cries. Was that what they were feeling? Some form of hot flash crossed Ness's vision at the thought of that, and he felt his legs give out and send him crashing to the floor. Halfway through his collapse, he felt a gloved hand grasp his arm, and another claw the exposed skin near his shoulder. "Red, you don't need to go into detail," Peach chastised. "Ness is young; he doesn't need to be scarred by such things anymore than he already is. Nor does Lucas, and I certainly don't want to hear you say things like that."

"Well excuse me, Missy," Red darkly muttered under his breath. "Just answering you."

With a sudden, violent gasp, Ness was reminded of the presence of Lucas just as he collapsed. Turning to the blond, it became painfully clear it took a great deal of effort just for him to maintain a somewhat upright position, putting the weight he could barely support with his legs onto one of the tanks. His mouth moved soundlessly, yet it seemed all the faint screams in the room amplified to deafening levels. They made him feel sick, made him try to block them out by putting his hands to his ears, but they didn't silent one bit. Within the piercing noise, he could hear a vague plea that seemed to be in a voice unlike any of the others: "Make it stop!"

"Why are you covering your ears?", questioned Peach, and then Ness was certain of the screams' origin. All those agonizing noises reminded him of things he barely wanted to form in his mind, but despite them, he reached out to Lucas's bowed head and grabbed the chain of the core that seemed to be practically choking him to death. Pulling it over his head and away from his grasp, it seemed the voices all but quieted. He tried to set the pink stone in the palm of his hand, but found it was blazing with heat. How could Lucas possibly bear to wear it, he wondered.

A black cloak fell around the Knight of Love as he got to his feet. "Thank you," he muttered, snatching the Love core back from Ness in a violent manner that contrasted with his soft tone. "All those people crying out, I couldn't take it. I think it was overloading the core, all of that emotion." With a sudden violent movement, he turned to Peach. "You knew these people, no wonder you're in such pain," he remarked, eliciting a small sob from her.

"All these people, none of them deserved this," murmured Peach, failing to make eye contact with anything besides the ground. "It's hard to believe even the Star Eaters would do something like this, but why?"

The whole situation, it was starting to become a sickening Déjà vu, seeing his own tragedy played out by someone else. "They're just trying to get our attention," Ness explained, recalling Grima's callous excuse. "They don't care who they hurt, they just want to put on as big a spectacle as possible to draw us to them."

Peach didn't speak a word for a moment, finally letting out a horrified screech of "Y-you mean to say this is our fault?"

"Of course not!", Red quickly assured her. "Even if they're attacking us, it's not our fault they do such stupid things to get our attention."

A quiet voice rose up behind them, rearing to strike. "Ah, but Ms. Pink n' Frilly was right!", a vaguely familiar voice laughed. "It's not like we would have attacked here had she not lived here." The speaker jumped out in front of them: Mr. L.

Ness was absolutely positive he was going to be sick. So it had been his fault Paula had died, just for existing? Had he not been there, or not ever been in the first place, she would have lived, and no one would have had to face that sorrow in that town. He was positive he would have fallen all the way down that time had Lucas not let out a loud shout of "Don't be ridiculous, of course it's not your fault! If some little kid that wanted your attention caused trouble to get it, even if you were giving this child plenty of attention in the first place, would it be your fault they're acting out? Of course not, because you have nothing to do with their maturity level!"

He was right, it was stupid to think otherwise. Red and Lucas, they were completely right… He suddenly became very aware of a lingering pain on his upper arm, as if someone had cut into it with sharp nails. Did the Blood core perhaps have the ability to influence emotions? He'd have to ask about that later, as his pondering was cut off by an irritated cry from Mr. L. "Oh, and you think I'm a child?", he questioned, his rage showing on what little was visible of his face behind the black mask. "How old are you, twelve?"

"Fifteen, actually," Lucas corrected under his breath. "But I guess it doesn't really matter.

With a sudden motion, Peach stepped forward, towards the Celestial Guardian. "Luigi," she muttered sadly. "Of course they'd make you destroy your homeland. If you still exist somewhere in there, I hope you can see that everything that's happening is no more your fault than it is ours."

For the briefest of moments, Mr. L looked hopelessly confused, but the look vanished very suddenly from what little could be seen of his eyes. "So, I hear you came here looking for me?", he prompted. "If so, then prepare to be bested by my new and improved Brobot L-Type!"

A tremor shook the cavern as a machine similar to the one that had slain Meta Knight burst through the walls. Just as he had before, Mr. L hopped into the cockpit and began to move the machine towards the Alchemist Knights. Some sort of missile shot towards them as they dodged back, but Peach's sudden shot of petals forced it to burst in mid-air.

Something, a thought shot into his mind as they dodged and deflected the fire: Mr. L seemed to be very purposefully not hitting the tanks. Peach, hadn't she hypothesized they were being drained for energy to sustain the barrier? And hadn't Grima done something similar with his victims? A downright horrific idea occurred to Ness, but it was hardly more horrific than what those green tubes contained. He decided upon it as Red called his Charizard to intercept a shot from the Brobot's hands with its Rock Smash attack, and quickly scanned through his possible attacks. Thunder would take too long and Magnet and Jumpstart were defensive, so what did that leave? He recalled hearing the name of another attack, but he hadn't used it before, so he could hardly be sure of its effectiveness.

Still, with the horrid pounding of the constant explosions resonation through the small chamber, he cried out "Pulse!", and felt some ring of energy leave his body- a circular shock wave that ran right through the Brobot, but more importantly, the glass holding the lifeless Toads, driving cracks into them with its force. He drew shallow, desperate breaths as he watched the cracks quickly widen until the tanks burst into a shower of green liquid and broken glass. The bodies fell to the ground in the cascade, still unmoving, but the eerie glow of the place seemed to evaporate.

Mr. L cursed under his breath, amplified through the cavern by some microphone within the mech. "I knew the barrier was a stupid idea," he muttered as his machine started to back up and ram straight through the ground.

Peach began to run after him, but Ness found his attention drawn to the limp figures dotting the now light-filled cavern. "You go ahead!", he called to his partner. "I'll stay here and see if there are any survivors." She gave a nod as she disappeared into the light.

He took the hand of a Toad near him and called out "Jumpstart!", not expecting any response. Instead, the mushroom-capped creature gave a mighty twitch before blinking its beady eyes open.

"I-I'm alive!", he exclaimed in amazement trying to sit up against the jagged base of the broken tube. "I was sure I was done for, but you… You saved me, right?"

He was about to insist it was a team effort, but Red called out "Yeah, he sent the monster that locked you up running and freed you from your… never mind."

"Th-thank you, mister!", the Toad exclaimed. "You must be some sort of superhero!"

With a sheepish grin, Ness nodded. "Well, I just want everyone to be safe," he added as he let go of the Toad's wrist and proceeded to try to find other survivors.

* * *

_**AN- I don't know why this chapter was so hard to write. I really don't. I mean, we're psychologically scarring Ness, isn't that fun? …Wow, I am really messed up, aren't I? But maybe it's just jarring to write something so dark about Mario? It feels like something from Earthbound, specifically the Stonehenge section more than anything. But still, I like how it turned out.**_

_**So, chapterly question: who do you think will be the next to die? I mean, we've already killed Meta Knight, Link, Paula, and that Luma, so who do you think is next? I'm guessing you people won't get it right, but if you do, I'll give you an internet pizza. By the way, have you noticed I make terrible jokes sometimes? Just saying…**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	47. Burn

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty Six- Burn_

Seeing Luigi in that awful chamber, lined with the suspended bodies of people she had seen every day of her life, it was easily the most awful thing Peach could have ever imagined, but even worse than that was knowing Luigi had played some part in its creation. This special kind of torture, selected just for her, it was just the type of despair Rosalina and Shulk had once spoken of: the pain great enough to break the very world around her. She was grateful, at least, she wasn't someone among their number whose despair could warp time and space, but she felt perhaps the bitter tears burning at her throat could do the same, if given the chance.

She hated leaving the others to sift through the rubble on their own, but Ness wouldn't leave a situation he could help, and she was grateful the other two had the goodwill not to force him to do so alone. At least, that's why she thought hers were the only set of footsteps she heard chasing after her friend's machine. Perhaps they had been incapacitated by the horrors they saw, or simply didn't care enough to continue after him, but it was truly impossible to say.

After a moment of pursuing the machine, Peach noticed the sky was blue once more. The barrier, it had probably shattered when Ness broke the poor Toads' tanks. Well, she wasn't entirely certain what that would do, but it would probably at least make getting assistance for the desecrated town she called home easier.

The pursuit was rather brief, as Luigi's mech ran straight into another battlefield rather quickly. The other four Alchemist Knights present seemed to be taking on a hoard that wouldn't have looked out of place among Bowser's ranks. Oddly enough, though, they seemed to be fading into black dust when one would meet their end, just as the Magikoopa had earlier. Was this some side effect of their association with the Star Eaters? If she had killed Viridi, would she have turned to dust, or spattered blood across the ground? If she fell, would she turn to stardust, or simply bleed dry? ...No, this wasn't the time to think of such gruesome things, she reminded herself, as the others were turning towards Luigi, focusing blue-hot glares upon him.

From the distant quartet running straight for Luigi's machine, Peach heard a cry of "Nice work, Peach! Now we've just gotta figure out how to get him captured," from one of their number- Ike, was it?

"We should start by destroying that machine and making sure he doesn't warp away," a voice that could only belong to Lucina instructed.

A shout of "Nova!", and an explosion went off at the so-called "Brobot's" feet. With it halting its motion, Peach was able to run to face him alongside the others. The man who was once her friend was fuming with that air of arrogance she couldn't have ever imagined coming off of the timid Luigi. It was unnerving to see someone so familiar acting so differently, but it helped to remind her once more that it was entirely likely her friend was no longer alive. She wasn't even sure if it was possible, but had he perhaps been slaughtered like Lucas's brother and made into a corpse puppet as well? No, that couldn't be, could it? He was lively, if nothing else, while the "Masked Man" couldn't get out more than a few words in a monotone.

An icy attack shot towards the machine, and Mr. L gave an annoyed scoff. "Oh, you think just because you have some fancy plan to beat me you can actually go through with it?", he mocked. "Well then, let me prove you wrong!"

She could almost see Luigi's eyes now, beneath that mask and behind the glass of his machine. They were filled with steely determination unlike anything she'd ever imagined him capable of. How was it possible for someone so kind to be able to find confidence from destroying the happiness of so many? Was this a monster he had always possessed, or had it possessed him? But Palutena had been just as cruel before she had been saved. Did she still possess those shards of dark glass in her heart, or was she truly as healed as she appeared? How was it possible for something like that to vanish so quickly, or for a timid, kind person to become cocky and sadistic? The answer she was trying to avoid made itself clear: it wasn't. Luigi might have still been "alive", but he definitely was no longer the person she had once trusted.

With a sudden burst of something, perhaps madness, perhaps inspiration, Peach clamped her eyes shut and called out "Vines!" placing all her will into piercing the thorny spears through metal shell, weaving their way through the workings of the machine. More likely than not, it would catch fire and force it to combust, right? That was how it seemed to work when Mario fought something like this. If she was truly setting fire to her friend, she was truly sorry, but if he no longer existed, then she was glad to release him from such an awful fate.

When bright flashes lapped at the darkness of her closed lids, Peach felt herself almost automatically open them. It was almost a relief to see that Mr. L had exited the now burning machine, looking more angered than injured. "Ms. Alwayskidnapped, I will never forgive you!", he snarled. "My Brobot was very precious to me, and you murdered him!"

He took a few steps towards her, green fire charging in his hand. With a sigh, she stepped forward and held her hand out, as if to shake his. "Luigi, please forgive me," she pleaded, trying to keep her voice steady. "I was simply trying to protect you. If you still exist, please wake up. No one will blame you for any of this, just please, wake up."

Confusion crossed his face once again, but he quickly shook his head. "Sorry, don't know what you're talking about," he stated in a cocky tone. "Still, I'll make you pay. Now, have at you!"

Green flames shot towards her, and before she could react, horrible pain seared her shoulder. Was that what every Goomba that met the wrong end of one of those fireballs felt as the life was sapped out of it? And all that pain had been felt at her expense as Mario and Luigi tried to rescue her from Bowser? How did she deserve all that agony for her sake? She had caused just as many tragedies as Mr. L, hadn't she. "Please," she forced out. "Whatever it is that's eaten my friend, can't you just take me instead? I'm the one who deserves to be made a monster, not someone who's done nothing wrong."

"Peach, you haven't done anything wrong," assured a voice from the distance. Peach's stomach lurched as she turned her head to face the rapidly approaching figure of Mario. The closer he got, the more obvious it was he'd been through just as much as her that day, judging from the frankly awful gashes and bruises covering his body. But if he had appeared injured before, it was nothing compared to the look he took on the second his eyes scanned over Peach's assailant.

"Luigi," he muttered somberly. "So this is what happened to you. That witch brainwashed you and made you fight on their side."

Mr. L bore a small, haughty frown as he turned to face his red-clad brother. "Are you here to save her? 'Cause let me tell you, she's not worth the trouble, Mr. Jumpsallthetime."

Very suddenly, something occurred to Peach. If Luigi truly no longer existed, how could he remember her constant misfortune to make fun of it, or his brother's skills? "I think we can save him!", Peach suddenly called out. "But it's going to take some skill. Mario," she ordered, her friend turning towards her with a nod. "You try to talk Luigi back to reality, Roy, be ready with a Bind as soon as he shows signs of remorse."

"Pyrokinesis and ice chains don't really seem like the best mix," the red-haired boy muttered. "But I'll try." Much to Peach's shock, Mario seemed to acknowledge the Alchemist Knights' presence with a disapproving frown.

Mr. L opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Mario practically limping towards him, launching into the plan. She tried to ignore the blood he was casting onto the ground. "Luigi, do you remember what happened right before you left? We were in the Rougeport Sewers, and you were too scared to cross that bridge, so I pushed you across. And it was the same a thousand times before. Remember the Beanbean Kingdom? You were scared then too, but we made it out of there fine, even when I couldn't be there for you."

"I have no clue what you're talking about!", Luigi cried, lunging towards his brother with a fireball. Mario barely evaded the blow, and Peach became very aware of his heavy breathing. Toadette had said Bowser was attacking, and yet she saw no sign of this. Was it possible he had managed to defeat the Koopa King on his own? That would explain the injuries, but even for Mario such a task seemed almost impossible. In the past, Luigi had always been at his side, and often a friendly Yoshi or Toad.

Mario continued to stagger towards his brother, taking labored breaths. "And when the Boos captured me, it was you who came to my rescue. A million times over our lives, more than I can even remember: a thousand straggling Koopas, a thousand bad shots from a Hammer Brother, a thousand hidden Bullet Bill Blasters, and you were the one who saved me from them." Something flickered under Mr. L's mask, but it vanished quickly. "That's why I know you're not a monster, Luigi; you're far too compassionate to want to bring destruction to our home or harm to our friend."

The horrified look of recognition would have stayed on Luigi's face this time, but a flash of malice in his blue eyes killed it. "Like I care who I was! The Celestial Guardians, I feel like I'm worth something, like I'm feared and noticed with them, and like I'm not in the shadow of my dear brother!"

Another burst of green flame came from Mr. L, this time a great spiked stream, and closed the distance between the two men in an instant. A strained cry of pain came from Mario as he was engulfed by the flame and sent flying back. One glance at his singed body, and Peach was positive the blow had been lethal.

Black danced in front of her eyes, and she felt the numb feeling of disbelief. She was steadied by a hand on her shoulder, and another on the opposite, but she was unsure if even that could hold her up. Mario, the last thing he had seen was the glare of hatred on his own brother's face as his flames enveloped him. Compared to this, what she had seen underground was the passing shiver of hearing a song known by heart in a different key.

Her horror, it couldn't have been anything compared to Luigi's, who had fallen to his knees and begun to weep. "I did this," he sobbed with the humanity the event seemed to have shocked back into him. "Mario, I- I'm not- I can't-"

It took all her remaining strength to steady herself for long enough to go stand at Luigi's side and put a hand on his shoulder, and even more to force out reassuring words. "I'm glad you're back," that was all she could manage through the tears.

* * *

_**AN- Last chapter, I promised an Internet Pizza to whomever correctly guessed the next death. Really, I am truly horrible, to make a joke into a hint into a morbid joke. Get used to such sadness, as the next few chapters are not going to be happy. At all. For anyone. Well, this is sort of the end of this "arc", so on to the next one!**_

_**So, chapterly question: which of the main characters would you hate the most to see die? I'm not telling you my opinion, as you'll probably think it a hint, and you might just be right. Conversely, are there any characters you wouldn't mind being offed? I also have opinions on this, and I can think of at least three I don't think I'd be too sorry to kill off, but also, I will not tell you because reasons. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	48. Prism

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty Seven- Prism_

Only a brief moment after Grima had vanished, the hall filled with bright light once more. It faded to reveal a rather worn-out looking group of dead-eyed Alchemist Knights, with another figure in their midst. With a guilty stab, Palutena realized it was Mr. L, but with a suspicious lack of the malice and cockiness she had once put in his eyes. Rather, he looked overcome with guilt and despair, desperately holding eye contact with the his reflection in the marble floor.

After a moment of questioning eyes piercing her, Lucina gave a nervous report of "We captured a Celestial Guardian."

"Did you manage to heal him on your own?", Shulk questioned, scanning their very broken-looking captive.

Peach gave a sad shake of the head, and Palutena could very clearly see her eyes were overflowing with tears. "No, no-not exactly, he-he-"

A sobbing fit interrupted her explanation, which was picked up by Marth, who looked like he was rather close to hyperventilating. "Luigi, he was about to attack Peach, but his brother Mario approached them a-and," He took a deep breath as a small look of disgust crossed his face. Was he upset by the situation, or at stumbling over his words, though? "He lashed out at Mario, who was already heavily wounded, and killed him." The prince took another series of deep breaths before continuing. "Luigi then realized what he had done and seemed to snap out of the Star Eaters' control, at least in part."

So she had claimed yet another innocent life, upon the countless Circe had claimed directly. How everyone could act as if that was all in the past baffled her. Palutena tried to compose an apology in her head, but was interrupted by Zelda. "It is a shame it took such great extremes, but you did manage to retrieve a Celestial Guardian," she coldly stated.

Luigi's eyes finally broke from the ground. She tried to meet them, but he only met eyes with Zelda, who was gliding across the floor like a ghost towards him. "Th-they said you c-could heal me, that you could stop me from being a monster. Please," he begged, eyes shining with stale tears. "The world would be much better off if I wasn't like this, and if you can't heal me, then just kill me instead. Any way to get rid of that me is fine, just do it!"

She was completely terrible, Palutena was. To have pulled someone into such a dark place, that monster she once was had been as terrible as Mr. L would ever be. A horrifying thought crossed her mind: if he had been able to kill his own brother before realizing what he had become, how far would Circe have gone? Yes, she would have killed Dark Pit had it not been for Pit and Lucina's intervention, but would she have been able to take the bright light from her angel's eyes before coming to her senses? Would seeing Dark Pit bleed dry have gotten to her? Even Lucas and Lucina, would she have been able to kill two so noble and kind? She didn't even want to entertain the thought.

"Don't worry," Shulk assured the trembling Celestial Guardian with a smile. "I'm sure we'll be able to help you." He cast a look around the room, his blue eyes turning from kind to demanding in an instant. "Now, if my hypothesis is correct, we've already managed to get through to him. It should be possible now to cast a Purity Spell on him. Palutena," He turned to her, some odd glint in his eyes. "Can you cast Lux on him?"

Taking her staff in her hands, Palutena pointed its tip towards the man in green. An odd smile came to her lips. How fitting it was that she would both destroy and mend him. Irony at its finest, and yet the humor of it was a bit lost on her. She was about to finish the mess she had started, but was stopped by a creeping voice behind her.

"You're planning to heal him, aren't you?", questioned the familiar voice of Viridi. Palutena hadn't remembered hearing it in years, and something, be it the Star Eaters or time had given it a bitter edge. Everyone seemed to turn to her on instinct, and soon a dozen weapons were pointed at her throat. A light chuckle came from the Star Eater, her golden eyes filled with some sort of cold fire. The lingering thought remained that she had put it there, but she pushed it away.

When no one gave her an answer, she took her own odd, gnarled wood staff and pointed it at the Celestial Guardian. "Mr. L, you have one chance. Rejoin the Star Eaters, or I will have to send you to join your brother," she threatened.

"Please do," Luigi replied in a mutter. "Everyone would be a lot safer, right?"

A look that was halfway between annoyance and shock crossed Viridi's face, quickly replaced by a smug grin that looked quite fake. "Alright then," she chuckled. "I'll end you as quickly as I can." Palutena quickly realized she was bluffing in her threat as she tapped her staff against the cold floor. If she was indoors, how could she use her plant magic?

She wasn't the only one to gather this, as Shulk shot Lucina a telling glance, quickly followed by the Indigo Knight calling out "Freeze!", and quickly running to the palace doors to shut them in the eerie quiet.

"What are you trying to do, stop her from summoning vines from thirty feet away?", Dark Pit questioned with a scowl that quickly turned to surprise when Shulk replied with a nod.

"Her magic's pretty strong, so I wouldn't put it past her," explained the seer. "Now, we don't need to hurt her, but incapacitating her should be enough. Roy?"

The red-head nodded and held a hand out towards the frozen Viridi, as if pushing something towards her. "Bind!", he called, and icy chains formed around her wrists and ankles as time began to resume.

Though Viridi struggled for a moment, she soon stopped and simply began to tap her staff against the ground once more. "Come on!", she complained. "That's cheating!"

"Didn't you all do the same?", Ness hissed back, his voice uncharacteristically filled with malice. "And at the expense of dozens of lives, no less!" Palutena decided she really didn't want to know what had happened while the others were gone, and tried not to imagine what Ness could possibly be referring to.

A glare came from Viridi, her tapping still filling the hall. "Why aren't you guys killing me, anyways," she questioned with a slight frown. "If you're playing by our rulebook, then we wouldn't grant mercy just because one of our units happened to know them once."

"Well, really, it depends who's rulebook we're following," Pit replied. "I mean, Midna or the Masked Man would probably kill us right off the bat, and maybe Cobalt, but I can't really see Grima going in for the kill so quickly. I mean," He gave a small laugh, as if he weren't talking about how quickly he might die in a certain situation. "He'd probably have a nice conversation first, maybe give us a hint on how we could escape, and then use his mind-control powers to force us to kill our loved ones, only releasing us from his control as the knife goes into their bodies so we can watch their blood splatter on the floor and know it was all our faults." The odd looks casted his direction made him add with another awkward chuckle "That sort of seems like his thing, right?"

Pained silence followed, broken only by Viridi's tapping. "I guess so," Roy agreed, though he sounded more like he was questioning it. "I mean, he could have easily killed me that one time, but he made me trick Lucina into following him instead."

"See, told you!", Pit brightly proclaimed. "What were we talking about again?" Viridi cast her golden glare at him, accompanied by more tapping. "Oh, right. We're not going to do that to you, honest!", he assured his once-friend.

"No, we're just going to try to snap you out of it," Peach suddenly added. Had that been the plan? Palutena didn't remember anyone saying that, but maybe it was one of those things that was just sort of understood.

More tapping, and Viridi's smug grin returned. "I told you, this was all of my own volition," she affirmed. "Cast your silly little spells on me, but I think they'll kill faster than Grima's knife."

Palutena could easily believe that. After all, even if it had been what healed her, that Lux spell she'd cast on herself had burned like an arrow piercing through her chest. Even so, it was worth it to save the friend she'd corrupted. She started to call out the Purity Spell, but was distracted by a loud crack. She looked down to find its source, and found a vine piercing through the floor where Viridi had been tapping her staff, making quick work of her bindings. As much as she wanted to be angry, she was impressed with her friend for pulling such a gambit off. Less impressed when it began to hurdle towards Peach, but quick thinking and a cry of "Prism!" was able to avert tragedy.

The shimmering crystal shield faded as the vines retracted. "Viridi, none of us want to fight you," Palutena pleaded. "You're our friend, and we all want you to be okay."

"If you were my friend, you would accept that I've changed!", roared the plant mage, and the vines pierced the air, this time headed towards Palutena herself. Forming her shield once more, they harmlessly bounced off again, but the message remained. Viridi, she didn't care about that friendship anymore. No, Palutena had destroyed that, just like she had Peach and Luigi's lives, and Pit's heart. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much good she did, would it ever be enough to make up for Circe's crimes?

Another strike came from Viridi. She simply looked at it sadly. Somehow, she'd lost the heart to keep struggling, even though she could still hear Pit's voice calling out something vaguely. An odd jolt filled her body before they hit, and for a moment she thought she'd been hit and died, but no, she was simply somehow a ways across the room, watching the battle as if disembodied. She thought for a second she really had died, but no, she could still see herself battling, but much more energetically. She slashed the tips of the vines off with some attack she hadn't even known she possessed, and then cried out "Viridi, I just want us to all be friends again! Please, just stop fighting!"

Very suddenly, she realized she was holding something in each hand. She raised a hand to look at them, and saw the cold blue blades that Pit used as a bow. Her heart, or rather Pit's heart could have easily stopped there, but it managed to wait until she noticed the Air core brightly glowing on her wrist to let out a gasp. Shulk had tried to explain to Pit some of his powers once, and hadn't body swapping been among them? Well, if he could tie Dark Pit's artificial body to his own, it wasn't too much of a stretch for him. So, was Pit the one in her body fighting Viridi? That must have been it. Her lapse of despair had been noticed, and Pit had saved her from it.

Viridi knocked the staff out of Pit's hands with one strike of her vines, and with a new spear, prepared to strike his back with another as he turned to pick it up. In the brief moment she had to react, Palutena wondered if it would be her or Pit who would die from that attack, but the answer seemed to be neither, as the vines were interrupted by Peach's cry. Very quickly, as if caused by pure will, the vines were sent hurdling back towards their caster, and in the brief moment before they hit her, Viridi bore a look of odd acceptance, as if she knew this was her fate.

The odd jolt returned her to her own body, but her eyes were already filling with tears by this point. Fair enough, as Pit would find his just the same. The vines retracted as their master bled dry, and Peach looked on with a look of pure horror. No one could find their words for a good minute, until Peach finally managed to get out "I knew I shouldn't try to control that power. It always ends up hurting someone, doesn't it?"

"You still saved my life," Pit replied in a hollow, lifeless voice. A small sob predicated his next words. "I guess there's no chance of us all being friends again now, though." A memory of a blonde girl with a ponytail laughing alongside a young angel and a ditzy light mage filled Palutena's mind as she realized that girl was gone, and the bleeding corpse faded to black dust.

* * *

_**AN- Wow, two major deaths in a row? I've really outdone myself! And we haven't seen the last of tragedy. Er, let's just say the next two or so chapters will have a certain quartet that really doesn't seem as if good things can come from it. Mostly because three people in the group know something the fourth should never learn, but I digress. **_

_**So, chapterly question: which characters do you feel I haven't been using enough? I kind of feel like I've been underusing Pit, Pittoo, and Palutena, but that's why this chapter and Laughter exist. Also, I'm debating between three new series to start up, and I'm unsure of which to start. I have the first chapter of all three posted, and a poll on my profile, so if you get the chance, go check it out (shameless plug). **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	49. Rapier

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty Eight- Rapier_

Viridi's body faded into dust. Perhaps that meant she was lying when she said everything she did was of her own accord, but it was far too late to worry about that. Ike cringed as a teary Palutena stepped forward, to a mortified Luigi, and muttered "I suppose I still need to heal you."

Her cry of "Lux" was weak, and not even the slightest flash of light came from her core in response. She forced it out once more, with the same result. Giving a weak chuckle, she shook her head and some of the tears out of her eyes went flying. "I'm sorry, Shulk," she apologized, her voice still somehow breaking. "I know you told me to be strong, but I think I lost my Purity Spell."

A horrified look crossed the seer's face, and he broke away from a sobbing Pit. "Please don't leave," the angel pleaded weakly as Shulk turned towards the grand doors.

"Pit, I really am sorry, and I promise I wouldn't be leaving if it wasn't really important, but Grima's next attack should be coming soon, and I need to try to stop it." Even Shulk's voice came out in jagged pieces as he dashed towards the door. "Z-Zelda, I need you to come too!", he called back, and the icy girl followed him as he threw the great doors open violently.

Marth cast an odd glance towards the slowly closing door before sprinting off in the same direction. Ike wanted to ask why he was going with them, but Lucina beat him to it.

"I- I need to ask Shulk about what we discussed earlier!" was Marth's reply, called back as he forced the door to swing open once more.

The worried look on Lucina told him whatever that was, it couldn't be a good thing. With a deep breath, Lucina barked an order to him, her presence commanding rather than unsteady like it had been only minutes ago. "Ike, cast Pyre on Luigi, and then please, try to catch up with them!"

Urgency in her voice told him something was very wrong with this situation, but he still couldn't quite read it. Marth had been acting rather anxious, but given the circumstances, it wasn't really anything odd. What was it Lucina knew? He took a deep breath before calling out "Pyre!", before letting a stream of white flame burn up the Celestial Guardian, but he didn't register Luigi's words. Instead, he turned to Lucina once more and asked a simple question: "What happened?"

"Earlier, while you and Roy were fighting Star Eaters, Marth told me he was considering going back home," she explained. "He wanted to ask Shulk if it was possible for him to do so while keeping the Sky core safe." Ike's heart caught in his throat. Marth couldn't possibly know that plan was a suicidal one, but the fact remained that he would be burning up the little time he had left if he were to leave. "I'd come with you, but I think the more of us are talking, the less he'll listen. I know I don't need to ask you to protect him, but you're the one he'd actually listen to."

A gleam in Lucina's eyes told him it wasn't only Shulk who had picked up on his affections, and he felt his cheeks burn red-hot. "Of course," he vowed, running off as quickly as he could. Impact slammed the doors open, and brought him crashing towards the trio. Each reaction to his presence was different: Zelda gave an irritated sigh, while Marth looked like he was going to be sick, and Shulk grinned madly.

"I guess this is the best chance we've got," Shulk mused, and Ike knew he wasn't talking about the upcoming attack at all. "Marth, didn't you have something to ask me?"

Shock flashed in Marth's pointed navy-blue eyes. "Y-yes, actually. You see, I've been-"

He was cut off by a violet circle appearing on the ground, and Grima rising out of it, like a monster might rise out of the ground in a movie. He cast a look between the four, obscured by his pointed mask, and gave an odd smile. "Hello Shulk, it's been such a long time," he greeted, the forced pleasantness in his voice sounding eerie.

"It's been half an hour," Shulk flatly replied. "Can we maybe not drag this one out too long?"

"Oh, but it's been far longer for me." Shulk gave no reaction, and the creepy smile was replaced by a pouting frown. "Shame, I wanted to get a chance to talk again."

Shulk shoved his sword into Marth's hands, and pulled the Sky core off his neck and wrapped it around his wrist a few times. The dark cloak Marth had been wearing when they first met fell back around him, just as a confused look fell on his face. "Shulk, pray tell, what are you doing?", questioned the prince. Even if it wasn't the best time, Ike couldn't help but smile, just a bit, though it quickly faded upon realizing it could very well be one of the last times he'd hear Marth's voice.

A cry of "Sky!" came from Shulk, explaining his actions as his normal red faded into white armor, and a white cape spread out behind him. Though Marth let out a small gasp, it didn't really seem that surprising that he'd be able to use the Sky core if it was another part of a weapon he had part of. Still, Ike had to wonder once again why the cape was necessary.

Not even bothering to look at his new attire, Shulk grabbed Marth's rapier and pointed it towards Grima. "Okay, if I play by your rules, will you be quick about it?", he questioned.

A smirk came to Grima's face. "Alright, then. We will duel. If I win, I may probe the Knight of the Eye's mind for a moment, and if you win, I will leave. Is this understood?"

With a nod, Shulk cast a glance at Zelda. "Make sure he doesn't pull anything, alright?"

"Is he not here to invade the Observatory?", Zelda questioned.

Ike chuckled slightly. "Probably not," he muttered. "He's probably just here because he thinks it'd be fun to mess with us." Zelda nodded, and looked as if she meant to say something else, but was cut off by the clattering of the two combatants drawing their blades.

Grima took a few steps back, as did Shulk. Nodding to each other, they both rushed into their duel head-on. Strikes of energy filled the air from both sides, but none seemed to connect.

As their swords crossed, Marth gave a slight frown. "Shulk isn't used to battling with rapiers, is he?", he inquired.

Just looking at the fight made it clear Marth had a point. Every time Marth had fought with his rapier, he'd used it with great precision that he never saw anyone else come close to in their swordplay. Perhaps it was just experience, but his blade also didn't seem like it was to be used at all like a normal blade, which was exactly how Shulk was wielding it. "Should I lend him mine?", Ike suggested. "Or could he still use the Monado like this?"

Eyes flitting across the battlefield, following Shulk's motions, Marth gave a nod. "Please do," he flatly requested. "If he keeps this up, he'll break it."

Considering the rather precarious angles Marth's rapier was bending as Grima's lightning-shaped sword rammed against it, that prediction seemed rather likely, and Ike took his golden sword in hand, ready to toss it towards the seer. He was stopped by Zelda, though, who shook her head and whispered "Shulk is far too bright to not notice his poor performance. I believe he's doing this on purpose."

That theory would explain the glazed, almost bored look on Shulk's face as he dodged and parried with a rather remarkable lack of skill. He'd probably seen something and was working out a strategy to counter it, but what was it, exactly, that would require such complacency? "I believe that," Marth groaned, but even that didn't stop him from cringing as his rapier came closer and closer to breaking with every bout.

When a shattering sound pierced the air, Ike placed a hand on Marth's shoulder with a tight grip. Considering how faint he looked as pieces of his blade fell to the ground, it seemed like the safest thing to do at the moment. "Oh, looks like you won," Shulk remarked dryly, dropping the handle of the rapier on the ground. "Go ahead," He closed his eyes and looked as if he were bracing himself for a shot to enter his arm. "Make it quick."

Chuckling, Grima turned towards Marth and began to very slowly walk towards him. "I will," he assured Shulk as he brushed past him.

Shulk opened his eyes as he passed, and the brief look of shock on his face was replaced by rage. "Our agreement is that you would read my mind, not Marth's!", he protested.

Another small laugh. "I do not remember saying I was targeting you," Grima corrected, still edging towards Marth, his cloak trailing behind him, making him look almost like a ghost of some sort. "Rather, I said I would probe the mind of the Knight of the Eye. That title belongs to the wielder of the Monado, who at this moment, is dear Marth, correct?"

"Then I shall duel you myself, if that is your intention!", Marth roared, holding the cherry-colored blade in his hands, its cyan light blade extended towards him. "I will not hold back, as I would rather let you slay me than have my mind!" Ike found his mind drifting back to their last encounter with Grima. Back then, he'd seemed fairly willing to letting Grima read his mind if it meant a truce, but judging by the murderous glint in those light-catching eyes, that couldn't be further from the truth at the moment.

Calmly continuing towards the prince, Grima didn't even react to these words. Something was unsettling about this all, and Ike somehow felt as if he were doing something wrong by jumping in front of Marth with his blade pointed at Grima's throat. "Don't take another step!", he threatened, but something in the air was going against his instincts as he lunged at the Celestial Guardian.

Though he blocked the blow with his own sword, Grima promptly turned around. "Shame," he muttered. "Something's changed here. You know, I'm not interested in you anymore, Star Seeker. You've lost whatever it was that made you intriguing. Next time we meet, I won't let you go unharmed, understood?"

The violet circle appeared again to swallow Grima, leaving everyone confused as to what he had meant. Even if his uneasy presence still lingered in the air, Shulk audibly let out a relieved sigh. "So, Marth, what was it you were saying?", he prompted.

A moment of confusion was broken by a small "Oh, yes!" from the prince, and Ike braced himself for what was coming. "I just wanted to know if it would be possible for me to leave the Alchemist Knights without damaging the Star core."

* * *

_**AN- Well, this turned out a lot different than I expected. What can I say: I hate action scenes. Also, Shulk's appearance while wielding the Sky core is based off of Leif of the Jugdral Fire Emblem games. Sort of like Marth's white palette swap, if you don't know what he looks like. Just to prove that as far as this story is confirmed, Shulk might as well be from Fire Emblem. Similarly, if Lucina ever wields the Sky core, she'd probably look like someone from a Mother/Earthbound game. For the same reason. Also, I'm just going to apologize right now for the awful pun next chapter's title will be. The awful, weeaboo pun. **_

_**So, chapterly question: will the combined efforts of Zelda, Ike, and Shulk be enough to stop Marth from doing something really stupid? And once again, what is Grima's deal? I know the answer to both of these, but I'm not telling you.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	50. Thank You

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Thirty Nine- Thank You_

This… Ike should have known this was coming, even before Lucina told him. He should have known the day would come when he had to confess what he had done, the awful thing he had learned. It hadn't felt real until Marth had said it out loud, though.

"You can't!", he cried. "Y-you'll…"

The words wouldn't come out. If he said them, he'd make them real again, as real as they had been when the computer screen had first blared his death sentence. As real as they had been when asking Soren how he could possibly stop Marth's tragedy from playing out. As real as they were at night, when he was half asleep and unable to stop his mind from wandering. If he told him his fate, wouldn't that just make it inevitable? Besides, no one should have to live with knowing how little time they had left.

Shulk picked up his sentence with a calm statement with all the poise of a carefully rehearsed lie. "You wouldn't be able to leave without damaging the Star core, no."

A trailing mutter of "I see…" came from the prince, whose eyes were firmly fixated on the ground.

"Why do you want to leave, anyways?", Ike inquired. Lucina hadn't said anything of his motivations, just that he was planning it. Perhaps if he had an explanation, he could come up with a counter to convince Marth otherwise without having to play that awful, despairing card.

Hesitation, and then a small sigh. "I promise it is of no fault of your own," assured the prince, who was now holding eye contact with a street lamp that banished the starry sky above them. "I simply feel I am betraying my people by staying here, protecting others rather than them."

"Of course you aren't!", Ike exclaimed. "We need you too, you know! Your people, you aren't hurting them by staying with us."

"And what if I do end up hurting them?", countered Marth, who shifted his gaze to meet Ike's. He couldn't bear to see the tears starting to form in them and the red tint their whites were taking on. "We've seen Peach's homeland get destroyed for no other reason than her association with us. We saw Grima kidnap dozens of people and claim lives simply because they lived in Ness's hometown. Lucas's brother was killed, Palutena and Luigi were wiped of their personalities and made into murderous puppets, and for what, to make us suffer?" The tears began to break through his voice. "Link, he died in our service! What if that were to happen to me, I would have died for a cause other than the one I was born into performing, and vanish forever, and while my country is on the brink of war, no less!"

His point was far too valid. Ike couldn't deny they were hurting people as much as they were helping them, and he vaguely wondered if perhaps he had been blinded from the bigger picture by his obsession over protecting the one he loved. With a break in eye contact and another downwards stare, Marth softly added "Not to mention I am, in the eyes of our country, an adult now. Shirking my responsibilities like this is childish. I shouldn't be fighting monsters, I should be looking into what marriage would bring my country the most stability, and preparing to take over my father's throne."

There wasn't a response Ike could give. He wanted to tell Marth he was wrong, that he was doing the right thing, but everything he'd said made it clear nothing he could say could change his mind. "You know, no time will have passed whenever you return," Shulk provided. "If you think you need to grow up, won't what you learn here give you the experience you need to do so?"

"I thought the same," admitted Marth, who continued to stare fixatedly at the ground. "But I was wrong. Every tragedy we see just makes me want to hide, want to never face this cruel world. Nothing I can learn here will make me stronger, only weaker and less capable of being hope for the people I live to serve, so if I don't grow up now, when will I?"

Every movement he made, while somber, was still filled with life, and it just stung to think they might not be in an instant. If he was eighteen now, that meant he most definitely had less than a year left to draw breath, and even less for Ike to see him do so. Changing time, isn't that why Shulk had his visions? There had to be a way, there had to be something able to stop him, but what?

The answer occurred to him in a hot flash, with a glance at the stars glimmering around the Observatory. "But if you went back with the Sky core, the Star Eaters would just come after it, right?", he slowly argued. "They need it, so they'd just attack you to get it back. See, you'd be doing your country more harm than good by returning there before this is all over, so why should you!" Perhaps his excitement at finding a way to stop him came out a bit too much, but he could barely stop it.

Marth gave a frustrated frown. "I suppose you are correct," he mused. "Still, might there be a way for me to return there without the core?"

"No," Shulk quickly exclaimed. "There isn't any way you could."

That was a blatant lie, a fatal mistake, something Marth caught on to with an irritated huff and a blazing glare on the liar. "You mean to tell me I could not use the same method Pit used to locate us, or the one that brought you and the other Starstorm Knights to our side during our first battle with Grima?"

"It was Rosalina's magic," he explained with the calculated flatness of someone trying desperately to stop their bluff from being called. "I have no control over it, and I doubt she would take one of her chosen knights home."

Zelda, who had been oddly quiet this whole time, let out an annoyed sigh. "Please, if you are going to dissuade him from leaving, at least don't do so with falsehoods," she sharply insisted. Ike could feel her jab pushing their nearly complete argument crashing to the ground.

Though he wasn't sure whether to cry or yell, Shulk very pointedly chose the latter. "Zelda, why would you do that?", he fumed. "It is very important that Marth stays here, and you know why that is, so why would you try to stop us from savin- stopping him!"

He'd caught his word choice too late, and Marth was looking at him oddly now. "What do you mean by 'saving me'?"

Their web of lies was collapsing on itself, revealing the truth at the center of it. Ike didn't think he would be able to stop it from coming out, but quickly tried to think of something. Shulk cast him a very apologetic glance, but the words he said next implied the apology wasn't for his slip. "I didn't mean saving you, I meant saving Ike," he explained, and this time, Ike wasn't so sure it was a lie. "Losing you would damage him as much as losing Viridi damaged Palutena, if my visions are correct, and we can't afford to lose our final Purity Spell."

Perhaps Ike had one final card at his disposal that could stop him from playing the most damaging one. He knew it would only bring pity, and the last thing he wanted was Marth to pity him, but perhaps that pity would be enough to convince him to stay. With a gulp, he prepared himself to speak from his heart, but Zelda took action before he was able to even so much as get the first syllable of his confession out.

With a swift motion, she pulled a comet-shaped pin off of Shulk's cape, gave a call of "Reflect!" that caused a barrier to spread between herself and the seer, and strode towards Marth, who refused to meet her eyes. "I am truly sorry I must be the one to do this, but I believe you have the right to decide your own fate," she began. "Ike, Shulk, I must ask you to not interfere until I am finished."

Holding out the pin, and ignoring Shulk's fuming, she spoke words that truly made Ike want to strangle her. "This pin is one of the time-travel devices the forces of the Observatory use to make ventures like the ones you mentioned you first encountered them in. It is fairly easy to program: slide the panel on front open and simply enter the location, date, and time you would like to warp to."

Marth took the pin and began to fiddle with it. Ike couldn't see what he was doing, but he seemed to be as confused by it as he had been with the technology in Lucina's house. After a strained moment in which he and Shulk were both too dazed to try to even walk around the barrier, Zelda gave a sigh and a small beeping came from the pin. "Now, when was it you were last in Altea?", Zelda questioned.

"T-the eighth of September, in the late afternoon!", he exclaimed, eyes widening with shock. "But how did you know I hail from Altea? I don't recall ever mentioning it to you."

If he could say nothing else kind about Zelda, Ike could at least say she took the pain of telling Marth the awful truth upon herself. "I have seen your name in the pages of history books," she admitted. "In the brief paragraphs about how the country of Altea met its demise."

The horrified look on Marth's face was matched by the sickening feeling that was eating away at Ike's chest. "Wh-what do you mean?", Marth questioned in a voice several octaves higher than it normally was.

"Altea was a small country in the land of Akaneia that was destroyed soon after the Second Seal War broke out," Zelda told. "Their prince had recently married Princess Cadea of Talys before it broke out, but he perished in the war among his men. The haildom of the country was driven into hiding after their king was slain by the invaders, but a close friend of the late prince named Kris was able to lead a revolt and eventually bring an end to the war. After its close, he married Lady Cadea and became king of the united land of Akeneia. Marth, that is your future if you are to go back. You have every right to refuse, but also every right to go to that fate."

Ike's chest felt like it was going to be eaten by something from the inside out, and just as Zelda's barrier dispersed, he quickly ran to a rather faint looking Marth. "Please, don't leave!", he begged. "I told you, you're important to me, important to all of us, and none of us want to see you die!"

Zelda handed him the pin and backed away. "I am truly sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I believe you should know the whole story before making a decision," she stated, her voice carrying no hint of remorse for telling someone of their death.

Shaking fingers closed around the comet pin, and Marth's tear-filled eyes met his. "Please forgive me," he nearly sobbed as Ike's heart was fully eaten and replaced with a hollow, surreal pain. "If my country is truly to fall into war soon, I have no choice but to be there to defend it."

"I don't want you to die," Ike meekly murmured. "You're the person I care about most, I- I'm-"

The words he'd wanted to say for so long were cut off. "Ike, I care about you as well," Marth replied. "I thank you for everything you have done for my sake. You have become my best friend in the time I have spent here, and I promise to never forget your kindness." His voice broke into a high sob, and Ike knew there were tears falling down both of their faces. "Forgive me for only being able to repay your kindness with heartache, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ran from my country when it needed me most, even if it does mean my death!"

There was nothing he could do but stand there as the one he loved decided to end his life. With the pin in hand, he dropped the red blade he was holding in the other hand to the ground and took a final step forward. "Thank you," came a gentle whisper that came from very close to him. The prince swiftly leaned forward and lightly placed his lips on Ike's cheek, pulling them away almost at once. The kiss was chaste, and almost surely platonic, but it still made the heart Ike no longer had beat like a ticking bomb, getting faster and louder and more painful as Marth took a final few steps back and disappeared in a flash of cyan light.

Honestly, he was too stunned to realize everything he'd fought for was gone until the light had vanished forever.

* * *

_**AN- Audience, I still love you, but I am not sorry for this. In fact, I have been looking forward to it for ages now. Only one question for you now: did you really think I wouldn't kill off a main character? Thank you for reading, I look forward to hearing how much you hate me now. –Twilight Joltik**_


	51. Eclipse

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty- Eclipse_

Tears fell to the floor like rain. Lucas was very tempted to rip his core off, as the sheer amount of emotions in the room was overwhelming, but he kept it on. It was almost interesting to see all of the rather turbulent reactions to a murder they had committed themselves, even if it was unintentional. In times like this, it almost passed for some sadistic form of entertainment. Besides, if he could bear all the withering Toads crying out just a brief moment ago, surely he could bear the pain of just a handful of people.

Eyes flickering shut, black eating up his vision like the snapping lens of those picture boxes he never liked, and filling the world with the bright glow of souls. The white, surely Palutena's, was something he'd never seen before. It looked like not a ball of flame, but an empty circle with a blazing corona. Vaguely, he was reminded of something he'd seen once when he was young, when for a brief moment the sun went dark as the moon passed it by. "Eclipse", that was what it was called, right?

Reaching out to an eclipse seemed impossible, but he could still read Palutena's agony. A person who had once been her best friend had died right in front of her, and she hadn't done a thing to stop it. It had been her fault she'd even been there, so therefore she had been the one to destroy someone so close to her. She died with delusions in her head she'd placed there herself, but that wasn't even the worst of it. Pit was heartbroken, and breaking a heart so pure, that was truly unforgivable.

Self-loathing to rival Marth's was eating away at that girl, and it was almost hard to watch. He broke contact with her, and a rush of warmth ran through his body. Odd, he hadn't realized he was cold, but perhaps that was why she was no longer able to cast a Purity Spell. He himself was supposed to be able to cast one, according to the seer's words, but whenever he'd tried, it worked just as well as Palutena's attempt to save Peach's friend. Was his heart like that, then? Was it nothing more than a rosy corona around his void of a soul? Somehow, that didn't surprise him.

Teal flames beckoned him from across the field of vision. An echoing call choked by tears: "Hey! Over here!" No one had ever consciously called out to him before, not like that. Perhaps it was another lost spirit like whatever he'd kindled into the improbable silver flame called Metal. No, as he reached out, he could see feel some very particular presence that could belong to no one other than Pit.

"So you can come here too," he muttered in a voice lacking its normal energy. "So I guess Shulk was right: our powers are alike."

Their powers were alike? From what Lucas had seen, that was only half true. Really, it seemed their powers were the antithesis of each other. Lucas' limits were simply a matter of if he had the strength to overcome the subject's willpower, but Pit could only fully connect to those who trusted him, and he trusted back. On the other hand, Pit was probably more powerful than him, but had no desire to use his abilities to harm the people he could use it on.

There was something he was curious about. Considering he didn't trust Pit a great deal, considering he'd seen baseball bats less blunt than the angel, how far could this connection go? "Can you hear me?", Lucas projected.

Silence, and then a "Y-yeah. I can hear you" came out of the teal fire, shaky and choked up. "Sorry, I –I just don't know who else to talk to. Shulk's gone, I don't know where Kirby's gotten off to, and talking to Palutena would just make me more upset."

What did he mean by that? He reached in a bit further. Palutena, she was so different than she used to be. Pit wouldn't admit it, not even to Shulk, but things weren't at all like he thought they'd be. Palutena was simply not the person she had been before she'd died. She was-

"What are you doing?", questioned Pit. "Don't make me think about those things! Palutena's my best friend, and she always will be!"

"You could feel all that too?", Lucas questioned. "Odd, I hadn't thought anyone could tell when I'm reading them. Besides, you were the one who said it."

Only the ambient noises of the despairing outside world and a distant clanking of swords filled the void until Pit finally spoke up. "I didn't mean for you to hear all of that," he admitted. "I hadn't even realized I'd said that last part out loud. Guess I'm just sort of distracted today."

Perhaps in another world, he might have tried to comfort Pit. That wasn't this world. No, in this world, he didn't care to use his powers for good any longer. He was too tired at that moment to worry about Pit. "I'll leave you alone then," projected Lucas, and he snapped his eyes open once more.

The world of flesh and light was no less despairing than the dark world of spirits. Peach and Ness, they were having a conversation very close to him, and both of them sobbed at every other syllable. It seemed interesting enough, so he tried to make out the strains of their voices through the background noise.

"…not like I want to stay here either!", Ness cried. "I don't want to see anyone else die, but I also don't want to give up on them. They're my friends now, after all."

Peach cast a saddened look downwards. "If that's what you decide, that's fine, but I just wanted someone to stand beside me, that's all," she softly stated. "Please, just consider it, alright?"

The Knight of Plant turned away and made her way towards her recently healed friend, and Lucas seriously considered trying to read what exactly had just happened out of one of the two. This plan all but vaporized the second Ness turned to him and asked if he'd heard any of said conversation.

"A bit," he admitted. "But what were you talking about, anyways?"

Ness most certainly responded, but he only registered what he said vaguely. His distraction came in the form of some sudden burst of emotion from outside. It wasn't hard to figure out what was happening, and really, it seemed like a logical conclusion to the melodramatic tale that had shot into his mind that awful night Link had drawn his final breath. Even so, it was hard to snap his mind away from the distant cries of misery and back to Ness's words. All he ended up catching of what he was meant to focus on was that Peach had asked him to leave the Alchemist Knights and return to the Mushroom Kingdom with her and Luigi, without any of the nuances or reasoning behind it, even if he could infer the majority of it.

Snapping his mind back to Ness and trying to ask him to repeat his words quickly became impossible, in the way it is impossible to pull one's focus from a burning forest. Whatever was happening between Marth and Ike and the others was too explosive, filled with too many bright flashes of pain to look away. That feeling had begun to be familiar to Lucas, and really, it felt like the entire world was dissolving into being nothing but a collection of despairing flames eating away at his mind. All the flickering lights, the third eclipse forming outside, it was starting to give him a splitting migraine, almost as much as the Toads had. Even if he kept his eyes open, the flames of the damaged souls surrounding him were blinding him to the world of the living. Desperation led him to reach to his neck and try to pull the cord off of his neck, but it only ended up cutting into his flesh and letting out a cry of pain as, at last, the world began to fill with pure black and some of the pressure on his head turned light.

A pair of hands caught his arms from behind, and another pulled the pendant away from him before he could hit the ground again. "Lucas, you've gotta stop doing that!", Ness insisted, his voice a bit distant and hazy. "I don't know what makes you pass out like that, but if it's the core, just stop wearing it unless you have to!"

"That's probably what it is," added whoever it was who was keeping him upright, his voice straining under his weight. A flicker of white feathers out of the corner of his eye told him exactly who it was, and made him vaguely wonder if perhaps he wasn't the only one who could feel the overwhelming waves of emotion. "Is something wrong with Shulk?", Pit questioned in a whisper. "You said there was something wrong outside, but you never mentioned him. Is he alright?"

When had he said that? Perhaps Pit could read his thoughts in the same disconnected way he could read his? That was the best explanation he could come up with. "I think he's okay," he forced out after a moment. "Upset, but not harmed."

Pit's sigh of relief seemed a bit premature, as not a moment after it, loud cries came from outside. He tried to figure out how he could still be hearing things if he was no longer using the Love core, but was answered by the fact that Ness and Pit both seemed to look towards the door. It wasn't in his head this time; they were actually yelling, but only three voices seemed to be present. He was no less curious than he was when hearing them in the flame-filled void, though, and was almost grateful when Pit caught him by the wrist and rushed to the door, Ness following and a rainfall of other footsteps trailing the trio.

Everything was still fuzzy outside, like a half-awake light show, but Lucas was slowly starting to realize the haze was something better known as exhaustion. Was he perhaps draining his powers too quickly by being forced to read so many hearts? Hopefully, now that Marth was gone, they could call the day a wrap and resume this never-ending cycle of anguish in the morning. He was just glad he wouldn't need the core to see the situation clearly here, judging by the tears falling down the Knight of Fire's face.

Lucina took a few steps towards him, cast a quick glance around the area, and threw her arms around Ike as he sobbed "I couldn't stop him. I-I'm sorry."

"Nor c-could I," Shulk added softly. "Marth, Viridi, I-I couldn't s-save e-either of th-them in the end."

There was subtext behind those words he couldn't quite make out, so he made a swipe at the fuchsia pendant dangling from Ness's hand. The Knight of Electricity gave a shake of the head and pulled it away from Lucas's reach.

Perhaps some of what was written between the lines of that statement was clarified by Roy's very blunt question of "Is he dead now?"

"He will be," Ike almost seethed, with a blue-hot glare directed at Zelda punctuated by the clenching of fists. "He went back home, where he'll die in a war in a matter of months. We might have been able to stop him if it wasn't for some interference."

Zelda shook her head. "It would have happened regardless of my involvement," she claimed. "I only thought we owed him the truth of what he was headed into."

A flash of blue entered Shulk's eyes. "Er, I think there'll be another attack," he explained as it passed. "But this time it won't be something we can handle so easily."

"Another Celestial Guardian?", Lucina questioned, and Shulk replied with a nod and a vacant stare directed at Lucas. Blue eyes that somehow looked empty and close to tears simultaneously bore into his eclipsed soul, and he wanted now more than ever to see what was running through Shulk's mind.

The question of who it was they would face was answered by his mouthing of "I'm sorry", eyes still locked on Lucas's. Dread and the image of a corpse masked by a helmet filled Lucas's mind.

* * *

_**AN- Sorry this one took so long; life happened. Still not sorry about what happened last chapter. Still not sorry about what is ahead. In other news, I really think maybe in another universe Lucas and Pit could have ended up being good friends, or at least partners. Also, I'm revising older chapters, which is part of why this one took so long to get up. So far, only the revised version of Gaiden 5 is up, but it's a lot better, and also 4000 words long. **_

_**So, chapterly question: favorite relationship between characters? I like Pit and Shulk's friendship/brother thing myself, and quite obviously Ike and Marth's love that will now never be. Also, I thought of a new thing that would be fun to put here: random things in my notes I don't have anywhere else to put! Er, I'll think of better name than that. This chapter's- I intended for Dawn and Kumatora's relationship in Gaiden 8 to come off as romantic, even if it didn't really read that way.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	52. Love

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty One- Love_

"Claus," Lucas muttered. He had hoped the day he'd have to see his brother's corpse once more would never come, but now, he wished it would have come sooner. If it had come even an hour before, there would have been two Alchemist Knights with Purity Spells to allow them to end it peacefully.

Shulk gave a nod. "Y-yes, we'll be f-facing the Masked M-Man." He no longer seemed to be addressing Lucas in particular, but rather the whole group, lapsing into an odd stutter. "Probably, in t-terms of raw strength, the m-most powerful of the Celestial Guardians, but a-also the most straightforward. He w-won't try to manipulate us or a-any other tricks, but his brute force alone will be hard enough to c-counter."

"So, we just counter brute force with brute force, right?", Red suggested, the only one among their number who seemed to be both perfectly fine and alive. "Just get some troops, maybe some of those cool blaster thingies, and we'll be done."

A hesitant "N-not exactly," came from Shulk, followed by a chain of "ums" and "ers" that only ended when a flash of shock crossed his face, followed by a nod. "From what I've seen, he's really powerful," he explained, seeming to regain his foothold on the world. "If we were to go all out on him, chances are he'll do the same for us. If we can avoid it, we should prevent the Observatory militia from getting involved."

"I assume you have a plan, then," Peach butted in, her voice filled with bitterness, adding under her breath "Perhaps if we're lucky it'll turn out as well as it did last time!". Lucas reached for his core once more to find the root of it, but Ness shook his head once more and shoved it into his front pocket. Perhaps Lucas was becoming too reliant on the core? It was fairly clear to see the Knight of Plant was simply still in shock after the rapid-fire deaths of her friend and her rival, even without it.

Before responding, Shulk seemed to stare off into the distance for a moment before taking a deep breath and giving a small shutter. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Pit doing the same. Perhaps the angel had gleaned how to speak telepathically from their conversation among the soul-flames? He was very ready to try to discreetly snatch the core from Ness's pocket, but he knew what had happened the second Shulk began speaking.

"Yeah, totally! I-I mean yeah, I have a plan," he assured her, seeming much brighter than his normal self. The person speaking couldn't possibly be the broken-up person who had tried to speak a moment before. No, Pit had learned more than just telepathy from Lucas, he had somehow matched his projections as well. But if that was what he was doing, then why did he still sound so lively? "The Masked Man is just a puppet, right? So if we can somehow break his control, we could take him over so we can finally put him to rest!"

Valid plan, he had to admit, but how might that work? Eyes so bright he thought for a moment the seer had lapsed into another vision met his, and a chill ran through Lucas's body. "Of course, we'll need some help with that. Ness, that helmet he wears is what controls him and blocks other psychic transmission. If you can bust it up with your electric powers, we should be able to try to get through to him."

Ness gave a small nod. "Yeah, sure," he agreed. "Maybe Pulse will do the trick again…"

"Red!", the possessed seer turned to the red-eyed boy, who gave an odd grin. "Er, not sure if he still has blood, but you can influence emotions if we manage to get some out. You, you help too!"

A crimson blink of confusion, and then a mocking salute. "Aye, sir!"

The shining eyes that were almost eerie on someone as unstable as Shulk met Lucas's once more. "And Lucas, if anyone will be able to take control of him, it's you. I know he used to be your brother and all, but just think of it as putting him out of his misery, right?"

He didn't want to fight Claus. He didn't care if it would make his brother's spirit happy to see his corpse destroyed, he couldn't bear to think how filled with life he was just what felt like brief moments ago, though it had been weeks, and functionally years since seeing him draw breath for the final time. What did he care if it would help Rosalina and the Alchemist Knights, what had they done for him? Given him hope and pulled it away from him in the cruelest way possible a heartbeat later? Still, perhaps this time he was the one being controlled, as he still gave an agreeing nod.

"Oh, and Shulk should help too," the seer's body exclaimed. "Er, I mean Pit. Pit needs to use his super-awesome mind powers, which will be incredibly instrumental in the defeating of our enemy, because he is..." He stopped suddenly with a sheepish chuckle. Lucas couldn't even begin to imagine how the others, who barely knew Pit possessed such powers at all, would have been confused by that spiel. However, even he was confused by the "Er, tag!" he added, followed by another shutter and deep breath.

"Incredibly vain," Shulk finished under his breath, and something of his cadence seemed to suggest it really was the seer speaking this time. "Anyways, the rest of us will come in if needed as back-up, but it would probably be best to involve as few of us as possible, considering how powerful he is. Perhaps a smaller group will make him underestimate us, so he won't quite go all out."

"We'll be nearby, though," Lucina blurted out. "If things start to go wrong, we'll be there as soon as we can. Do we have some sort of cloaking device we could use so we can be close enough to tell?"

Letting out a sigh, the seer remarked "They'd all be able to be breached with his tech. We have surveillance, though. We'll keep an eye on them, and we'll be near enough." Something of this sounded hollow, an empty promise, but it was accepted with a nod.

"We should hurry," Pit beckoned, running off in a familiar direction. As the angel glanced back, Lucas noticed that his eyes didn't seem to bear the same eerie glow Lucas's and Red's did whenever using their powers. Something was different about him and his powers, but it was impossible to say what. Perhaps this bout of distrust would be enough to keep him from being able to connect to him, he hoped as he followed the Knight of Air.

The four of them slowed as they reached a place that Lucas recognized as where Dark Pit had attacked them and Palutena had been purified. Odd that the place where he was able to do the most good would be where he would have to put his own brother to rest. Everything was silent, almost disturbingly so, but Pit's flat blue eyes were firmly fixed on the false sky. "It will be a minute, just wait."

With a great and overdone sigh, Red sat down on the broken paving stones. "He'd better hurry up," he huffed with mock arrogance. "Better to get it over with quickly, right?"

A sudden weight reappeared around Lucas's neck, and he clutched the Love core and felt it burn hotly as his cloak melted away. "Please don't overdo it," Ness pleaded softly. "I know we're up against your brother, but that thing's going to catch fire if you use it too much more."

Lucas gave a nod, and felt his stomach turning inside out. Waiting, it always seemed to fill him with dread, but the real show would be even worse. He stifled a yawn, the heat of the core reminding him how thoroughly exhausting the day had been. If only he could sleep through this thing, but Pit's powers didn't seem like they'd be enough to carry the day.

"You okay?", Red questioned. Lucas wasn't sure how to answer, but he forced himself to not close his eyes beyond blinking. "Well, of course you aren't," added the Knight of Blood. "It's even worse for you than Cobalt is for me 'cause you don't hate the guy."

"I really don't want to do this," he admitted, blankly watching the blackness of the sky. "I just want to wake up and for this all to have been a terrible dream. Everyone's miserable, and I can't stand it. Do I have to fight?"

He hesitated to answer, but Red ultimately nodded. "What else is there to do, let him tear up the world?", he posed. "Everyone's counting on you, and you're the best man for the job. Maybe if you're lucky, someday the fighting will be over and you can live in a world where you don't have to anymore."

Red was almost certainly talking exclusively to himself. With a glance down, Lucas bore into Red's eyes and projected a shout of "That might work for you, but I live in a world where the fighting will never end! Even if I win one battle, there will always be more, even after I'm dead and gone, so what difference will it make?"

A minute shake of the head, and a mental answer. "Yeah, I get your point. It's all pointless, but look at it this way: if we fight, that means other people don't have to. I mean, if we bailed on them, we'd just be putting someone else at risk."

Stifling a yawn, Lucas felt something unfamiliar. Perhaps he'd cut himself without noticing, but some of Red's false drive seemed to be reflecting onto him. "Okay, then, that's a good enough reason," he conceded, even if he was unsure if it was coming from his mind or his mouth. If he killed Claus for good, his twin wouldn't have to fight any more, and Lucas wouldn't have to dread seeing his corpse again. "So, Ness'll destroy his helmet, I'll try to take control of him to make him shoot his head off, and Pit and Red'll back me up," he reviewed, his voice sounding more like Red's than his own.

Pit gave a nod. "Sorry you have to do this," he apologized softly. "But at least… At least you know he's not himself."

In that voice was someone who had lost someone very close to him not an hour ago, but had also lost her years ago. Beside him was someone who had abandoned hope for a better future in favor of giving others false hope. Behind him was a boy who had seen his friend and town destroyed by the cruelty they were up against. Lucas felt selfish for not keeping that in mind. As violet swirls sparked in the air and his brother's corpse landed on the ground, making heavy, slow steps towards them, he tried to keep in mind that it wasn't his heart alone that was only alive to writhe in painful burst of adrenaline.

* * *

_**AN- If you aren't sure what's going on with Pit and Shulk, just remember what Pit can do, and what he did do to save Palutena. Next chapter is number forty two, isn't it? Well, that is the meaning of life, the universe and everything, so we can probably expect something interesting to happen. And I am not sorry for it in the least, even if it will hurt.**_

_**So, chapterly question: which character's powers would you most like to have? Personally, as lame as it sounds, I would love to have Lucina's. With the ability to stop time, I would never have to fight to sleep and write and play Pokémon at the same time again! Oh, wait, electronics don't like time stopping, and it only lasts for a few minutes, so I wouldn't really get much sleep. Never mind, I'm going with Zelda's, as they're sort of jack-of-all-trades magical attacks. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	53. Puppet

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty Two- Puppet_

Closing his eyes for a moment made Lucas feel a bit better about facing the shade of his brother. There wasn't any trace of a soul remaining in that corpse, so truly, he was not up against his brother at all. If he could have kept his eyes closed the entire time, he would have felt a lot safer, but a burning heat passing through his shirt on his chest brought Ness's warning to light. How was it he was using up his power so quickly, he had to wonder? The others never seemed to tire after a volley of spells, but did his somehow drain more power? Or perhaps he lacked their stamina? The reason didn't matter much, he supposed, only that it was happening.

Ness and Red were approaching the Masked Man in the world of the living, one holding his core in a clenched fist, and the other holding a Poké Ball like a dagger waiting to be plunged into flesh. Broken words came from their foe. "Knights… Destroy… No hope…", came out a garbled chain, followed by a bolt of lightning. It would have ran straight through Red had Ness not suddenly called out "Magnet!", drawing towards himself harmlessly.

Casting a sharp glance and nod towards Ness, Red called out his Charizard. "Okay, give that zombie a few burns to take to the afterlife," he ordered with his normal false sneer. Somehow, even without closing his eyes Lucas could sense the pounding of the Pokémon Trainer's heart and his silent prayer his idea would work. Was the core starting to overtake him again, like it had when he'd first used it? It was burning even hotter, and things seemed a bit out of focus.

Though a blast of fire came from the great dragon, Claus hardly flinched upon impact. The black jacket he was wearing must have been some armor, or something fireproof, as far as Lucas could tell. "Okay, now use Smokescreen," Red followed up, without even taking note of its ineffectiveness. A charcoal plume shot out of Charizard, solidifying like breath on a cold day. Only closing his eyes could allow him to see through it, but he hadn't even realized he was doing so.

Yellow flames were pushed by blood-colored flames towards a red-orange spark that lacked the intensity called humanity. The yellow flames, the dark red, they were both struggling to keep burning, but still had something in them that kept them from collapsing into the void his had become. What did they have to hold onto, hope? Drive? Stubbornness? Echoes he could hear coming from both told him it was a bit of both. Perhaps if he tried, Lucas could try to echo some of that.

Eyes snapping open, Lucas saw the smoke disperse from a single wing-flap, and Charizard shot into the sky with Ness clinging onto its back. The Masked Man didn't so much as look up, but simply stared straight ahead. He didn't flinch when Ness called out "Thunder!", didn't try to dodge the blue ball of energy when it collided with him, and when his helmet shattered, still didn't do a thing. It was almost as if he meant for it to break to pieces, flying off his head and crashing to the ground.

It was nigh impossible to keep his eyes open when Claus's face emerged from behind the dark glass. He looked just the same, save for the vacant look of brown eyes with no life behind them. A bitter chuckle, something closer to a convulsing or a cough came from the corpse. "Lucas…" was all it said, a short echo in a voice that didn't resemble Claus's in the slightest.

Another echo came into his head, this one benign. "Lucas, you can't listen to him!", Pit cried out. "He's not your brother, he's just a puppet, and they're just trying to scare you! Trust me, okay? I think our powers combined will be enough to take him out!"

He simply had to trust the angel if he wanted to save his brother. A pure heart and good intentions, that was all that teal flame masked. Could he call that faith in his good nature trust? He tried to push his misgivings about Pit's plans away, push away the pain of seeing his brother again, push away all the deaths and sorrow the past days had brought him. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and felt something reach to hold onto him.

A bright light, a surge of energy, it was almost beautiful, the power coursing through his veins. He didn't care what the Knight of Air had done, only that it had happened. Opening his eyes, the whole world seemed like a dream. Nothing was concrete, not with their souls exposed out in the open. Dying lights filled all the world, each as vulnerable as the last. He just had to get control of that corpse, right? Just make one of those cannon shots he was narrowly dodging go straight through that empty skull? That seemed far too easy, almost a bore. Perhaps he should have a bit of fun before he ended it?

"Lucas, what are you doing?", asked a teal blaze. _"Did I do something wrong? What's wrong with his eyes? They aren't supposed to be that glowy, right?" _What was it going on about? It didn't seem important, even if he could feel a blazing at his own chest that he felt he should pay attention to.

A twitch at the strings at his fingers, and the yellow flame danced at his will. He took shaky steps across the stage before launching a dazzling chain of sparks at the lifeless puppet acting on the will of a master that wasn't present. The audience- or was it the other actors?- were booing the scene. Was he playing the villain, perhaps? A burning told him that wasn't the case, as did a struggling voice coming out from the yellow soul. "It's overtaken him! His core, it's gonna burn up if we don't stop him!"

He was no villain, he was no hero. Was that what the script said? It was too late to worry about what the script might have said, it was already showtime. He released the yellow and started to make the red flicker. It cried in protest, told him to stop it, but he didn't pay it any mind. All these cries were starting to distract from the score. Perhaps things could quiet down on set a bit?

"We've gotta do something!", one voice called out to add to the chorus. "Red, I'll get some blood going, you try to snap him out of it!"

A quick move, but the teal flame didn't even try to be subtle as it rushed towards him. He dodged out of the way easily, but something started to sting. His hold on the red strings faltered out of shock. Something in his mind seemed to ebb away, while the flame eating at his chest grew hotter. The stage faded away, there was only a battlefield of a lifeless machine throwing shot after shot at four children, three of which were desperately trying to get the fourth to awaken.

"Lucas, calm down! This isn't about us!", Red called out, his blood throbbing to make the words stick. "Your brother needs you, just finish this!"

Couldn't the world just fade back to hazy dreams? His eyelids were heavy, and he hardly thought he could take another step. From the Masked Man's back, black metal wings sprouted, and he took to the air. Another few shots, which Ness had to deflect, as Lucas couldn't respond in time to do it himself. Things were fading away, he'd done too much. The spirit in the core, the kin of the boy he'd saved on that very spot, was it dying? It didn't have much more to give, but Lucas wasn't sure if he did either.

Pit's presence glowed brightly beside him, and he couldn't tell if his eyes were open any longer. "I'll give you a boost!", the angel cried. Lucas gave an agreeing nod, and a cry of "Lift!" produced a current strong enough to knock him towards the hovering Celestial Guardian.

Up close, it was easier to see Claus for what he really was. The wings, the cannon, they had become part of him, like the chimeras that were eating up their world back home. His brother was one of them now, one of those things he'd so hated, but somehow, he knew his true brother was there also, telling him to put an end to this. The winds carried him closer to the corpse, to the beast, but he couldn't see anything beyond a bright pink heart-flame to match what his once was. He reached for his brother.

"Claus, I'm so sorry," Lucas almost sobbed, but his eyes weren't functioning enough to produce tears. "I couldn't save you, and I couldn't save myself."

Someone reached out to grab his hands. "It's alright," a voice he'd long forgotten assured him. "You don't need to fight anymore. Your part in this is over."

"I haven't done nearly enough," Lucas insisted. "The only people I could help are still in danger, and my world hasn't gotten any nicer. If I quit now, will things be alright?"

A brief hesitation. "That's up to fate now. Well, fate and them. You've done all you could, it's time to come home."

"Home", what a funny word. Lucas had been under the impression that place no longer existed, but perhaps that wasn't the place he was thinking of. A glance backwards at the hazy world, but all he could see was a triad of flames trying to reach out to him through a veil. He didn't really want to leave them quite yet, but it seemed his time was up.

The pain of the flame at his chest bursting forth and eating up two bodies was brief, but he could vaguely hear the booms and the horrified cries.

* * *

_**AN- Lucas, I'm sorry you died. I really am, but I'm more sorry this didn't quite turn out right and that it's rather short than I am it happened. This'll see a rewrite pretty soon, I think, but I just wanted to get this up. Basically, he used up too much power, he was about to go crazy from it until Red interfered, and the Love core exploded, taking the Masked Man and Lucas down with it. So, three deaths this chapter? Yeah, I'm confused too. But hey, at least this is the last of the killings for a while. **_

_**Chapterly question: which parts are in the most dire need of revision? I really want to work on Red's earlier stuff and the portrayal of Lucas's powers, as both seem rather inconsistent. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	54. Ashes

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty Three- Ashes_

Given his dazed, half-open eyes and pale skin, Pit should have realized something was wrong with Lucas before sending him after his brother. Ness tried to warn him, calling out "Pit, don't let him keep fighting!", but everything had already been set into motion. The Knight of Love was quickly lost in a flash of light as he reached for the Masked Man, followed by an ear-splitting booming and a brilliant pink explosion.

As ash and rosy bits of broken glass rained down on the pavement, Pit could only think of one thing. His mind snapped back to a hospital room with light fluttering through the curtains, to the faint spikes of a cardiac monitor, to the almost colorless cheeks with green hair that was somehow paler than he'd remembered falling across them. Once more, he had thought he'd known what he was doing, and once more, someone who didn't deserve death was pulled into its clutches. Worse, this time it was surely permanent, as it had happened in an instant right in front of his eyes.

For some strange reason, Red began to chuckle. "Hey, Sparky, Doduo," he called with a mad grin on his face that looked as twisted as the one Circe had bore when fighting them. "Remember what he said back when- wait, you two weren't there, just the Princess and Spitfire. Anyways, he said we should destroy his core so he wouldn't have to fight with us, and Tiara Boy told him if he did it'd cause a huge explosion! Guess he remembered that, huh?"

A low growl came from behind them. "Marth is dead now, so stop making fun of him," Ike snarled, a murderous glint that Pit didn't even have to turn around to know was there shining in his eyes. Just hearing the thundering footsteps behind him made some of the pain melt away, and he turned to see Shulk's firm refusal to meet anyone's eyes. Looking down, without a word, and with the hood on his red vest up. This scared Pit nearly as much as the ashes on the ground or Viridi's blood on the floor, but only because he was reminded of the scared little boy he'd met three years ago and not the strong, clever fighter he'd stood beside for so long.

He'd barely realized he was making strides towards the seer, but he was quickly close enough to trap him in a tight hug. Shulk let out something between a gasp and a sob, returning far more quickly than he would have normally. "I-I'm sorry," he forced out. "I-I messed up a-again. I-I c-couldn't s-save anyone. I-I kn-knew a-all of this w-would h-happen, but I c-couldn't st-stop it."

"It's not your fault," Pit assured him with his mind rather than his voice. "I was the one who should have stopped Lucas, and none of the other things were your fault either."

"There were surely things I could have done, though," muttered the seer. "I could have paid more attention to Viridi to stop her from attacking, or not had the pin with me, and I lost my pin, I'm so sorry, and I can't see how we can stop things from getting worse. Should we just go ahead and form the Star core and break this world apart, I don't think we'd be hurting it anymore than I already have."

With those words, Pit knew with terrifying certainty that Shulk had lost all hope. He didn't blame him for it at all. No, he would have too if he'd seen such terrible things happen in his nightmares all his life, only to finally have the chance to stop them from coming true and screwing it up so badly. All things considered, he was tempted to tell him to go ahead, to make a new world where maybe Lucas hadn't been blown to bits by his own powers, Marth hadn't accepted his fate, Viridi hadn't turned against them and made them lost their chance to save her, and Meta Knight hadn't died without giving Pit a chance to help.

The "Please do" was about to escape his lips, but something stopped him. The world would be completely reformed around Shulk's very existence, but what did that mean? Would it reform to his will, or would it change every part of his life? Perhaps in that world so many cruel deaths wouldn't have happened, but if he'd not met Shulk in that world, he didn't want to see it. That alone made him shake his head. "You can't. We don't know what would happen. For all we know, it could kill you, or make it so we never met, or worse!" With a small chuckle, he added "Well, I don't know what could be worse than that, but there's probably something."

A note of pure, unbroken laughter pierced the air, a sound he hardly realized had come from Shulk. "I can't either," he admitted. "Besides, if we give up now, the Star Eaters win, and we still need to make them pay for killing Meta Knight. Well, and they might destroy the world if we give them that sort of power boost."

"Forget about that, we need to make them pay for making you want to reset. And for raising our taxes!", he added with an overdramatic flourish.

More laughter, followed by Shulk reminding him that Rosalina made sure the taxes wouldn't affect them anyways. "But we must be heroes of justice!", Pit declared, finally breaking the hug to make some sort of stance and punch the air. "We must make ice cream cheaper for all!"

Neither of them could hold in the childish giggles, and Pit forgot for a moment what it was they'd been in such despair over. It might as well have been a year ago, when they were both excited to fight for the sake of their world, or a month ago when they'd both been in awe of how incredible the heroes they'd heard about for so long really were. It might have even been a week ago, when he'd only lost one person he loved, which had been counter-balanced by regaining another he'd thought had been lost forever. A day ago, even, he could see them laughing like this, or even mere hours ago, but now, the bright flame of joy burned out quickly and he became very aware of how awful it was to be laughing at that moment.

At very least, he knew now why Red had laughed right after the explosion. It really did help to forget about the pain for a minute, even if it seemed rude. Now, though, wasn't really the time to feel better, and he became very aware of a pair of green eyes watching him out of the corner of his eye, accompanied by a frown.

Something Lucas had said- no, that had come out of his mind while Lucas was trying to read it popped back in his mind. Palutena, even if he tried to deny it, she just wasn't the same now. Always guilty, always sad, with hardly any of the light and joy she'd carried before. Pit had changed as well, hadn't he? They'd both changed independently, and even if he hated to admit it, four years ago he would have said Palutena would be the person he'd most hate to lose. Three, and he would have said her death was something he would never get over, but the next year he knew his life had taken a turn for the better, even if he'd lost something important in the process. He had to be honest with himself: things would never be the same between him and Palutena, because he had moved on. Shulk, Palutena, even if they were equally broken, and there was no doubt they were, he'd already chosen to come to the seer to try to comfort him before even looking her way.

That didn't mean he couldn't still try to be her friend, even if they couldn't be as close as they once were. A few steps towards the green-haired girl, and he put his hand on her shoulder and met her teary eyes. "Viridi's death wasn't your fault," he stated, as firmly as he could. "None of this was. There's only one thing to blame here and that's the whole idea of the Star Eaters. If they want to hurt the people we love enough to make us tear the world apart, then fine, but we're not going to just stand here and let them, right?"

Her reply was almost a whisper. "Lucas seemed like a nice person. I wish I would have gotten to know him more. Marth too," she added, almost as if he was an afterthought.

"Me too," he replied. "I really think we could have been friends if he hadn't gone so soon."

Silence flickered between the two of them like lightning flashes, but it was quickly broken by another conversation he hadn't been aware had been happening beside his own. "Ness, Luigi and I are going to leave," Peach announced in a hollow shell of a voice. "The Mushroom Kingdom will be in ruins after the Star Eaters' attacks, and with Mario gone, there wouldn't be anyone left to protect it from anyone who decides to use its vulnerability to its advantage."

Shulk turned towards the Knight of Electricity, the light of focus back in his eyes. "Are you sure?", he asked Ness, who gave an affirmative nod.

"They need my help right now," he explained. "Besides, after all of that, I don't really want to stay here."

Without a second thought, Pit pulled the star-shaped pin that had been attacked to his scarf for the past three years off and handed it to Ness. It was another loss of the day, but certainly the least of them. "Ask Shulk to explain how to use this, I can't ever figure it out so I end up just asking him to do it for me," Pit directed. Without a word, Ness gave him the yellow pendant he'd bore, and a small, broken smile. For a brief moment, he was sure a charred metal chain was wrapped around his wrist, but he didn't get a good enough look at it to be sure.

As Shulk launched into words Pit barely understood directed towards Ness, and Peach handed the seer her core, a trio of tired looking Alchemist Knights approached him, the absence of their fourth partner jarring. Before even beginning to explain, Lucina handed him the cores of herself, Roy, and Ike. "I'm sorry Pit, but none of us want to keep fighting like this," she began. "I know it's not right for us to quit like this, but-"

Pit cut them off. "I understand," he assured them, eyes directed in the painful gap between the Knights of Fire and Ice. "You don't have to stay with us, but," he held the cores back towards Lucina. "Can you keep these? I know it's hard for you, but maybe after you have time to think on it some more you might be ready to help us again?"

The three took their respective weapons, each with a different expression. While Ike looked near tears, Roy seemed almost resentful, and Lucina simply sighed. "We'll think about it," Roy stated in a flat tone that contradicted his words. "We needed the Time core to get home anyways, I guess."

With an indigo circle spreading out under them, the three vanished in a flash of light that felt like it really should have been golden. Ness, Peach, and Luigi vanished a brief moment afterwards, in a soft cyan light that Pit was going to miss seeing. He almost jumped when he heard the voice of his double, someone he was overwhelmed with guilt for forgetting about. "Well that's not good," he stated. "It's only been a day, and we're already down half."

Half? Was it really only half of them that had left? He counted on his fingers. Lucas and Marth, Ness and Peach, Lucina, Roy, and Ike: that made seven. So, who was left? Shulk, himself, Palutena, who else? A quick scan of the area jolted the Knight of Blood, the lifeless robot, and the creepy scientist back into his mind. So, Zelda, Metal, and Red, but that was six, and they'd lost seven. It took him a moment to realized Dark Pit had counted himself in the remaining number, and he felt bad once again. He really did need to try to get closer to him, considering they'd only talked a few times since meeting in battle and saving Palutena together.

"Closer to a third, if I can help it," Shulk corrected. He didn't get the chance to ask what he meant before the seer pointed to a device on his wrist matching one Ike had been wearing, and the image of a few sketches of a communicator among the messy workspace floated to the surface of his mind. "But if I'm going to talk those three around, I'll need a bit of help. You two up to the task?"

While his double gave a complacent shrug, Pit gave a nod and a cry of "Of course!". As Shulk began to propose strategies for this task, Pit pushed the day's horrors to the side. He knew they'd resurface at when he tried to sleep, of course, but he supposed Shulk had woken him up in the middle of the night to talk away nightmares enough to make it fair.

* * *

_**AN- Well, I guess this is the end of this "arc". Will the first three Main Characters come back? That's pretty much inevitable, but I can't say the same of the group headed to the Mushroom Kingdom. Before the next arc starts, you lovely people will be getting new Gaiden chapters finally! Ike's and Metal's, to be exact, but I'm not sure in what order. **_

_**So, chapterly question: what part of the story has been the most emotional/sad? I think I know what everyone will say, but personally, mine was Ness's Gaiden. I never thought I'd like Ness's character much, but I'm glad he proved me wrong.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	55. Gaiden Ike- Pyre I

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Eleven- Ike- Pyre I_

It had been a full twenty four hours, at very least since Marth had died, and Ike couldn't bring himself to even touch his phone. Talking to Soren, would it help to get his feelings out that way? Considering he couldn't even muster up the will to talk to his father or sister beyond asking them to bring his meals to his room, he doubted it. A few times, when his sister had stood outside his door and questioned what had happened with his "Magical Girl thing", as he had briefly explained it to her, but even trying to get the words out made that hopeless, lost feeling crashing back into him.

Everything he saw replayed in his mind. It wasn't just Marth, in fact, he was probably the least terrible of the thoughts that attacked his mind, considering they were at least bitter-sweet and not purely acidic. Over and over again, he'd come to the realization he'd watched a man who had helped them be murdered by his own brother, who had once been just as kind. Just as he tried to reason with that, he'd realize he'd seen that brother and his army slay a great warrior, alongside what was surely a great number of soldiers. Following would be the image of a girl broken by seeing her homeland turned to ruin by her dear friend impaling someone who might have been saved had he perhaps thought a bit quicker. Then the ashes drifting to the ground that could have only been what remained of a boy he'd fought alongside. A shadowy monster slaying a brave warrior who had barely begun fighting for them. A boy crying out for his lost friend and swearing vengeance on a tricky hooded mage. A girl spitting vengeful words at a faceless evil that had ordered the execution of her friend, masked by conspiracy. A woman sending an arrow through a young boy who turned into a lifeless puppet. A boy being given an painfully short existence not for himself, but for everyone who was not him. A woman making the one he loved cry with a cold threat and a cold machine. Tears spilling onto his shirt, nights without rest to repent for his crimes, an assurance nothing would turn out alright, a goodbye kiss, and just when it would end it would start all over again, as painful and terrifying as the time before.

Really, he wondered how he had ever bore all of that for as long as he did. How had he remained unbroken before his love had vanished in a flash of light? Something, be it his guilt or his desire to stop one tragedy had blinded him to the others, but his failure made him see everything for what it was. The world he'd been pulled into was an awful place, filled with more despair than he could take. There wasn't any reason for him to be there any longer, so now all he could hope for was to forget all he'd seen. He knew healing alone would be impossible, but in a way, he felt it wasn't right to heal just yet. Those things he'd seen were terrible, and they deserved mourning.

This train of thought didn't seem to be followed by all, though. Glancing at his phone to get the time out of curiosity revealed a hundred missed calls and a thousand texts, all from Lucina. He didn't have to look any further to know what they were about, and pushed it away without a second glance. There was no reason for her to worry about him, because there were more important things to think about.

Ignoring the device on his wrist he'd completely forgotten about, however, was impossible. It struck when he was attempting to sleep through the grief. An unnaturally bright voice, a call of "Ike, are you there?" that he tried not to answer, but found he couldn't ignore after twelve dozen repetitions of the same call, a few in a different person's faint voice.

"Yes, I am," he finally replied in a hoarse, unsteady voice that scared him a bit. "Can you shut up?"

An odd clatter came from the other end, and a voice he couldn't place dryly replied "No. No we cannot. And you can't shut it off either."

He sighed and cast a glance at the black bracelet. A power button was present, but all pressing it did was bring up some display he had no idea how to read, no matter how many times he pressed it. "That power button is just so the lights on the coordinate display won't annoy you whenever you're trying to sleep, it doesn't shut off the communication channels. Even if you can turn them on, I'm the only one who can shut them off," explained a slightly distant voice that must have been Shulk's. "And don't think you can just break it off either. That thing's nearly indestructible. The force it'd take to bust it up would at very least bust your arm up too."

How was Shulk so upbeat, he wondered. Less than a day ago he'd been a complete wreck, but he sounded as if nothing was wrong with him. "Please just leave me alone," Ike pleaded, shooting a tired death glare at the device. "Everything that happened while I was with you guys was just too much to take. I just need a while to… to grieve, okay?"

A small silence followed, and then an "Okay, Ike. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then."

The clicking that came from the device almost made him want to yell at Shulk in the middle of the night as well to pay him back for all he'd made him go through for the Alchemist Knights' sake. No, he was too tired to even do that, so instead, he clamped his eyes shut and tried to think about something that would give him the peace he needed to sleep. The best thing he could muster up was replaying one of the few normal conversations he'd ended up having with Marth, during the week they were both in his home world together.

"Hey," he'd called out, throwing the door to Lucina's room open and finding the prince sitting on the floor, holding a small notebook and straining his eyes to see it in the dark.

With a small chuckle, he'd flicked on the light switch, causing Marth to let out an exasperated sigh. "Lucina told me how to do that," he'd muttered as he looked down, both away from his eyes and the book. "I just can't ever remember how it works, I suppose. Still, thank you for your assistance."

It had been endearing in a way, his confusion towards the modern world. Had been, in the past tense, and he fought to keep his mind away from how that past tense came to be. "No problem! Always happy to help out a friend," he'd exclaimed. Had Ike hesitated when he said "friend"? Even back then, he knew for certain Marth was far more than that to him, but he didn't seem to recall letting it show. "Do you want me to get you something to eat? I mean, you've been up here all day, and unless Lucina woke up early to make you breakfast or something-"

A warm smile had cut him off. "That would be lovely, thank you."

Cheeks burning crimson, he'd basically raided Lucina's kitchen to find something within his skill set, settling on a can of soup that he could probably manage heating up on the stove. Somehow, he'd managed to not only find the silverware and bowls without help, but carry said bowl upstairs without spilling it.

Marth thanked him several times for it, and had gone on almost deliriously about how much he enjoyed it. Watching him eat, as creepy as it had felt, made it clear he was very used to people doing so, and seemed to possess almost eerie amounts of grace, even when eating while sitting on the floor. Something in his eyes, though, it made Ike feel as if the prince wasn't entirely alright. Upon voicing this, Marth had simply remarked that he wasn't entirely used to such a lifestyle, but he could never ask Roy or Lucina to leave before they were ready to.

Looking back, he wondered how he couldn't have heard that as code for "I want to go home and continue protecting my people," but even thinking of that just dragged up the more bitter parts of his recent memory. The constant interruption of those thoughts left him quite unsure if he actually ended up getting any sleep, and if he had, it had been light and sporadic.

He was sure other things happened between trying to sleep and when Shulk next called, but it all was a hazy blur in his mind. He wasn't particularly hungry, so he probably ate something before then, but he couldn't for the life of him recall what.

"Ike!", a bright voice called from his wrist. "Hey, you there?"

Groaning out "Yeah, I guess so," he tried to muffle the loud voice under layers of blankets, but could still hear it fairly well.

"So, anyways, I know you're not really up to it, but I want to ask you-"

With a sigh, Ike cut him off. He knew what the seer was going to say, and he didn't want to hear it. "I don't want to come back," he stated as clearly as he could, pulling his wrist out of the blankets. "Everything I saw there, it was too much for me to take. Can you just respect that?"

Some odd rustling came out of the other end, and an unfamiliar, distant voice dryly called "Let me talk to him." The speaker breached the silence that followed with a small groan. "Look, do you think any of us want to be fighting like this?", he questioned in a snarl. "Don't you think every single one of us would rather be anywhere else, doing anything else? We don't have a choice in this, so why should you?"

"He's right, you know," added the oddly subdued voice of Pit. "I really wish that we could just all forget about this and never have to fight again, but we can't. We're just not lucky enough to have anywhere to run to whenever it's too much to take. There's nothing we can do to stop the fighting except keep fighting and hope one day it'll all be over."

Even if just a little, Ike hated them for making such a good point. He hated himself for being selfish and thinking running was a valid option even more. "Really, I think Lucas was lucky," the voice he couldn't recognized huffed. "He only had to suffer through half of this. You, if you make it out of this alive, you can count yourself lucky 'cause you'll only have to have lived through one generation of suffering. If I make it out of this alive, I'll have seen two of them, and I'll probably live to see plenty more generations of Alchemist Knights get torn apart."

Dark Pit, that was who he was talking to. Ike felt stupid for not having realized it sooner, but he could see now it couldn't be anyone but him. "Ike, we really do need you," Shulk added. "You're probably less far gone than Palutena, and the day will come soon that if we don't have a Purity Spell available, someone will suffer for it, and we'll just all get driven further into despair."

So that was why Shulk had given it to him. Not because he wanted to give him some form of control, but because he wanted him to get over what he had seen quicker and use him as a means to save the universe. Funny, he'd almost been ready to say he'd come back, but Shulk had ruined it as easily as Zelda had ruined their chance to save Marth. "I'll consider it," Ike lied in a flat voice. "Can you just give me some time to think it over?"

A small gap of silence, and then "I just wanted to be straightforward with you. We'll talk later, then."

* * *

_**AN- I was going to make this one long Gaiden, but then I figured I could split it in two so the updates wouldn't be so far apart. So, Ike'll get two Gaidens, and there's another character or two who I think will get the same treatment. That'll make the next one Pyre II, I guess. Metal's will be after Ike's second one, most likely, but I could always change my mind and put it between them. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	56. Gaiden Ike- Pyre II

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Twelve- Ike- Pyre II_

How much time passed until Shulk's next intrusion, Ike wondered. Everything had begun to blur together into a sleepy daze, and even the rising and setting of the sun in the sky couldn't tell him how much time had passed. That feeling was called "Apathy", wasn't it?

Apathy, or whatever it was called, was broken by a voice far more subdued than it had been previously. "Ike, you there?", he questioned. Ike refused to answer.

"Well," Shulk chuckled after a moment, "I guess it doesn't really matter if you are or not. Either way, I promise I won't talk to you about the Alchemist Knights anymore unless you want me to."

An awkward silence followed, as if he were expecting him to say something, and then "Er, so, what do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing would be fine," Ike admitted. It didn't seem as if Shulk was unaware of what he had done, so didn't he owe him the same "honesty" he'd been given?

Why was it he sensed in a place both millennia and light-years away, a broken-up smile was spreading across a fair-haired boy's face? "'Nothing', then?", Shulk repeated, that frightening grin showing itself in his voice. "Well, it depends what you mean by 'nothing'. Do you mean the absence of matter? In that case, I believe the more proper topic of discussion would be Dark Matter. Or perhaps you meant an absence of air, in which case perhaps Vacuums or even Space itself would be more proper terms-"

"If this is your attempt to get me to talk to you, by threatening me with death by boredom and annoyance, then it's not really going to help anyone," Ike complained flatly. "If you would just leave me alone-"

It was his turn to get interrupted. "-then nothing of your mental state would improve," Shulk finished. "Look, I know what being alone for a long time after seeing things like that can do to a person. And from experience, I can assure you that probably the most dangerous place someone like us- someone like you could be is alone with their thoughts."

He almost spat out "Really? I would hardly call you damaged by all of this. You've seemed totally fine the past few days!", but thought better of it. Shulk had been seeing the awful events of the past few days practically since birth, after all. He'd probably had his mental breakdown over it ages ago, when he was barely old enough to understand the horrors of what he was seeing. As much as he would like to blame Shulk, he really couldn't be too harsh on him for being desensitized to things he'd seen replay in front of his eyes more times than they'd replayed in Ike's head.

Instead, he took a deep breath and gave a deep sigh. "Fine. Knock yourself out," he conceded, and the seer began to ramble on about topics Ike couldn't really see the connection between.

Eventually, Shulk seemed to grow weary of Ike saying nothing but "Yeah" and "Mm-hmm", and ended with "Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

Though Ike didn't say a word as the receiver clicked off, the silence in the room was a bit jarring. Peaceful, but jarring. Somehow, the seer's endless rants on things he didn't quite understand continued to echo in his ears in place of the anguished cries of the people he'd failed to help, and somehow, Ike knew he ended up actually sleeping that night. Granted, it couldn't have been more than an hour or so at a time, and the cries did eventually regain their position at the forefront of his mind, but it was at very least an improvement.

There was no way it had been a full twenty four hours before Shulk's voice next filled the air. He wasn't entirely certain how he knew that, but perhaps his "apathy" was lifting a bit. "You there?", answered with a "Yeah…", even that showed signs this weird therapy the seer had concocted was working a bit.

"Do you want to actually talk today, or would you rather just fall asleep while listening to me ramble on about something or other?", Shulk questioned.

The answer was a resounding no. Honestly, Ike felt that first bout had wasted his time enough. Then again, he supposed wasting time was all he'd really done for the past however many days. But what was there that he could talk to him about without bringing up something painful for one or both of them? "I'd like to talk about something, but I really can't think of anything," he answered after wracking his brain for possibilities. "Preferably something that's not too traumatizing."

"That rules pretty much everything I can think of that wouldn't bore you to death," Shulk mused. "Er, how about we talk about someone we both know. Is that something people do?"

He gave his answer as a shrug, before being reminded by silence it was unseen. "No idea," he provided. "How about Lucina? You seem to know her well enough."

"Not really," admitted the seer. "I think we've talked about something that isn't battle strategies once? And it was about Pit, and I think I ended up creeping her out, so I'm not sure that even counts. I guess she seems nice enough, though."

"Yeah," Ike agreed. "She's nice, but I don't really think she knows what she's doing most of the time."

"Do any of us?"

For the first time in recent memory, Ike let out a small chuckle. "Not really. I mean, I sure don't, and not to be rude, but I'm not sure you do either."

Shulk laughed as well. "Yeah, not really. No idea why people think I do. Do I just talk myself up or something?"

"Maybe- oh I don't know- they think you see the future or something?"

The laughter that brought was short and strained, and almost surely not genuine. "Hey," began the seer after a moment. "Is it ever hard to look at Lucina? I mean, now that Marth's gone, and they look so much alike."

"Marth", even the name gave him the sharp pang that made him remember why he was there in the first place. "I thought we weren't going to talk about anything traumatizing," he muttered.

Shulk apologized with a flippant "Sorry, guess it's not just battle where I don't know what I'm doing. I was just curious."

After a moment's thought, Ike shook his head. "Not really, I guess. I mean, I haven't actually seen Lucina since all that, but honestly, I never really thought much of their resemblance. It was probably just a weird coincidence, right?"

With a groan, Shulk declared "But how could it be a coincidence! They're definitely connected, I know it, but I don't know how. The Time and Sky cores are two parts of a whole, but I should be connected to that, somehow. So, am I just the odd one out, or am I still connected to them in some way I just can't see? It's been driving me mad for ages, but I still don't know the answer!"

Once again, the seer very bluntly exposed the true meaning of his words. He wasn't asking about Ike's feelings, he wanted validation for his own. "Does it matter now?", Ike questioned. "Marth is d-dead, so why do we need to keep worrying about him? There's nothing we can do now, right?"

It took him a moment to realize he had done the same exact thing. "Yeah, I guess so," Shulk agreed, and something odd began to crackle in his voice. "Yeah, er, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

Somehow, as the room quieted much more quickly than it had the previous day, a crippling sense of loneliness began to settle on Ike. Was it possible this odd therapy was starting to work? Perhaps he just enjoyed the company. He decided to call Lucina back, but she didn't pick up. He didn't bother to try again, as she had every right to forget about everything, something Ike couldn't deny her as Shulk had denied him.

Instead, he decided to finally call Soren, just as he'd meant to. The conversation went as he would have expected: with Ike breaking down into miserable tears only a minute or so into it, and his friend trying to comfort him as the pains of the past few weeks shot back up. It really didn't help at all to let those tears out, but at very least, he was glad Soren was kind enough to listen to him.

Other than the pain, everything of the conversation blurred together. For the life of him, he couldn't have remembered a word Soren said, except for the last thing he said before hanging up. "Things may seem dark, but perhaps someone will show you otherwise," he'd offered as a reassurance. "You've always made things brighter for me, after all," and scores of guilt over what had happened between them several months ago shot up. A small part of him wished to have that safe, happy feeling Soren had briefly provided him with once again, but the rest of him knew it was long gone for the both of them. Was Soren just telling him to move on from Marth?

That question echoed in his head until Shulk called him next, this time while no light seeped through his drawn curtains. "Ike, are you awake?", he asked, and Ike gave an almost automatic response. It vaguely registered as odd that he was already so used to this after only a few conversations, but the thought didn't linger.

"So, I sort of wanted to talk to you about something sort of different," asked the seer with a nervous tone in his voice. "Um, er, I-I really don't kn-know how to start th-this…" He trailed off, and quickly exclaimed "N-never mind! It-it's not i-important!"

Something was getting him worked up, and Ike wanted to know what. Bracing himself for some sort of question about Marth or something else painful, he told Shulk to go ahead. The result was… unexpected, to say the least.

With deep breaths, the seer forced out a rapid-fire chain of words Ike couldn't really make out: "YouseeIreallysortalikeyouand…", followed by an awkward chuckle. "L-let me start over, okay? You see, when I was little and I was just starting to see visions of the Alchemist Knights, I always really looked up to them and thought they were cool. I guess since I never really knew people until I met Pit, just knowing I would someday be friends with people was enough."

"Where are you going with this?", Ike questioned as the seer started to trail off.

He was met with a sharp breath and sigh. "Well, what I'm trying to say, I guess, is that I've sort of thought you were really cool for a really long time, and finally meeting you, I-I can s-say you've r-really exceeded even my expectations. And, um, I-I th-think I-I'm sort of i-in l-love with you…"

A lurch, and Ike's heart stopped beating for a moment. Or perhaps it was beating in overtime, it was really hard to tell. He had just been told to get over Marth, and here was a perfect opportunity to do so. But, something didn't feel right about it. He would have never thought about Shulk in that way before. A few days ago, he practically hated the seer, and they had shared about two non-hostile conversations in all their lives. That bright flame that Soren had so briefly lit inside of him, the same Marth had relit and used to eat away at him from the inside out, he knew Shulk was incapable of kindling it.

"I'm sorry," was all Ike could manage in response. "You're a good friend, but really, I barely know you. I mean, you've sort of known me a lot longer, but I'm really nothing special, certainly not a good hero to look up to."

A hollow voice answered him after a moment. "R-right. Sorry, I should have thought better than to ask so soon after Marth. Um, just… I'm sorry, but we've- er, me and the rest of the remaining Alchemist Knights, I mean- we're sort of in a tight spot right now, and we sort of need some help. I know i-it's probably too m-much to ask y-you g-guys, but if you feel up to it, we could sort of use your help…"

Maybe his mind was still scrambled from the sudden confession, but almost thoughtlessly, Ike let out a "Yeah, sure," and regretted it at once. Well, perhaps he didn't regret it, as taking a moment to think it over while the seer thanked him and hung up made him realize it had sort of been his plan all along. Only Shulk's bluntness had stopped him from agreeing to Dark Pit, and those words still stood. If he was supposed to be a hero like Shulk had said he was, he'd better start acting like one.

With a sigh, cast a glance at his phone to see if Lucina had called him back. Nothing showed, but Ike decided to try again in the morning. He'd need Time, and also probably Ice to turn his burned-out heart into something that could pass as a beacon of hope again.

* * *

_**AN- I didn't really mean for Shulk's random love confession to be so blunt, but I sort of like how it turned out. I'm just imagining afterwards he just ran to Pit and said something about being an idiot without really explaining what had happened, and Pit sort of just went along with it. I meant for Ike to tell some story from his past to Shulk about Micaiah and Sothe, but I sort of figured A, this was long enough already, B, no one cared, and C, Ike didn't need another love interest mentioned in the same chapter. Seriously, had I included that story, he'd be up to four, and that seemed a bit excessive. Three seems excessive too, but I do have good reasons for what Shulk was doing. **_

_**So, chapterly, or, er, Gaiden-ly question: am I overdoing it on the romance? I sort of feel like I am, but also that in such a emotionally charged situation with such hormonally-charged teenagers this sort of stuff would happen. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	57. Gaiden Metal- Echo

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Thirteen- Metal- Echo_

A world of death, a world of dying, that was all she would ever know. She barely knew how she came to be in such a state, only that her body was quickly rotting away. Name? What did that matter anymore? Surely it was written next to her somewhere, near the bed of her impending death, but she barely cared to recall it. There were people who loved her, people who cared about her, and yet no one was there to see her die.

Well, no one but the people dying beside her. Ten, if the voices she heard weren't blending together. Beside her was a boy who still had quite a bit of fight left in him, and on her other side was a girl who had all but burned up the life force she had left. The boy would sometimes in the middle of the night start talking, as if he expected someone to answer him with something greater than a groan. Why he did that was something she couldn't figure out for the longest time.

One night, that boy once more called out the black. "So, ever think we're going to get out of this place?" he'd questioned, wasting the energy he had left. As he did so, she heard a note of sadness in his voice, one of desperate loneliness and fear. He was calling out to fill the room with his life, because the deathly silence was only reminding him of what he would become.

It scared her too, so she put all the life force it took to breath into a weak "That'd be nice…", followed by a onslaught of coughs that made her lungs burn in agony. That sent the nurses running in to try to ease her pain, but not before her neighbor let out a genuine laugh that made the pain seem not lessened, but for once actually worth something.

Perhaps that had made things worse for her in the end, but it can never be one coughing fit that makes an illness decide to start really overtaking a body. But it did seem after that night, which was followed by a day where the girl beside her surely began to draw her final, labored breaths, was the last where she could have been able to even attempt at words. She truly wished she could answer the boy's cries again, but they seemed to become less frequent after that night as well.

The girl beside her, who she vaguely overheard of being named something like "Ai" was soon gone, and almost surely dead. No one else was taken away for quite a while, but the air did seem to get even more lamenting. Even if no one said a word, the silent despairs of nine were sure to be heard.

As time went on, nine slowly turned to what would soon be eight as the funeral march began to play for another, who was soon carted away to never be returned. Eight decayed slowly to seven, and then to six, and by the time it was five, the boy next to her hadn't uttered a word in eons.

She was the one that would turn their number to a deathly four, she knew it very quickly. Even thinking became an impossible process, and her eyes couldn't open for the needles that had stabbed them had turned to a thousand spades being jammed into earth. No, it was more like someone was taking a crop tiller to her eyes and knives into the rest of her body. She wanted to scream, she wanted to scream with everything she had, and yet her lungs turned to flame every time she inhaled to do so.

Somehow, as she felt the last of her ebbing away, she knew that boy would be the one to follow her. Intuition, or perhaps the death coughs tipped her off to this, she wasn't sure which. Vaguely, she registered the nurses coming to take her away to die, but at this point, she wasn't scared. No, she was relieved it would all be over soon, and she would soon be able to talk freely with that boy.

As the world melted away, she had only one question: why did she feel stronger? She hadn't felt dying, had it happened without her noticing? She tried to open her eyes, expecting to see pearly gates, but instead saw a nurse she recognized from when she could actually bear to look around talking to a man wearing a cloak. The nurse turned to her and gave a smile. She said something, called her by her name, but she didn't really register anything. She still wasn't strong enough to ask any questions, and her eyes really were starting to hurt again, so she closed them back and tried to make out what the two were saying.

None of it made any sense to her, even when it did could her attention. Something about knights and spells, nothing she had ever been good with. They didn't sound like the fairy-tale kinds of knights either, so any ideas that she might have been saved were dashed. This reprieve seemed temporary, and she could already feel herself melting away once more.

One of them left, the door closing behind their footsteps, and she felt someone else lean over her. A voice she didn't recognize gave a small sigh. "I'm very sorry it has come to this," he apologized, and a light bright enough to pierce her eyelids with a dazzling silver filled the room.

Everything that came next blurred together horribly. All she knew for certain was that she was no longer a physical being. No, her body had been eaten away, leaving behind a silvery rift for her to simply exist in. She knew this wasn't death, but it wasn't really life either. That man had done something, traded that dying body of hers for a grey void, but she soon forgot how she had gotten there, or who she had been before.

The next thing she was consciously aware of was a girl shouting "Metal!", and the nothingness changing to a world that was very concrete. She tried to call out to the girl, but she didn't seem to notice her. Trying to tap her shoulder revealed that she still couldn't touch anything, but she could at least move.

Focusing her cyan eyes on a beast, the girl called out "Pillar!", and without thinking, she turned to the beast as well and focused all of her energy on it. Soon, a crystal of metal rose out of the ground and knocked the beast aside. Somehow, she knew this was her purpose, to focus her energy on the spells that girl called.

"Alchemist Spirit," the name echoed in her mind, and that was all she knew. "Metal", that was what the girl called to summon her powers, so that had to be her name. Metal could vaguely make out that the warriors fighting alongside her master were also commanding spirits she could not see. She was sure she felt something distinctly familiar when the time came for her to fight alongside a girl who called out "Light" to summon her powers, but she could not place it. A man who was referred to as the Knight of Star joined the battle on occasion, but somehow, she always felt weary when he was around, even if the masters seemed to respect him.

Once, she tried to call out to the spirit bound to the Knight of Light, but she couldn't seem to find the words. Really, she couldn't recall what she had tried to say, or even if he had said anything in return. Everything from then was a blur, when she thought about it, save for the lethal shot that had ended her master's life when the both of them had been worn to their limits.

After that, she had been pulled back into the grey void, and she was not called out again. Vaguely, she could hear things around her, from the world outside the core she was bound to, but nothing seemed to register. It was so very lonely, with no light or color, and she longed to taste life again.

Eons passed, and she got her chance. A spell cast by a tired blonde woman in a cyan dress went very wrong and sent the spirits of the cores falling through time and space until they found a host. She was contained inside a boy, but unable to help or even really watch him. She could feel his despair, his grief, his frustration, and even his happiness, but she was still unable to feel any of it for herself.

At least, she could not feel until a surge of shock and joy and a cry of "Metal!" brought her out of whatever darkness she had been in for so long. A battlefield stretched out in front of her, other cores glistened beside her, she was at long last alive again. She wanted to force all her energy into the odd spirit attacking them, make her explode into energy, but she never got to send a single attack out.

Instead, the spirit sent an attack at her master and killed him, her spirit seeping back into the core. She wanted to cry, after all that time alone, she wanted to feel again, she wanted to feel something.

Vague streams of code pulsated outside of the milky silver prison, but it was impossible to make them out. Shakily, a hand began to reach around, like it was lazily searching through papers, and she sensed it, just as she'd sensed so many things before. She cried out to him, tried to listen to him so she could find a gap in which to cry out in. "Lucas" was his name, that was all she could gather, but that was enough to make him hear her desperate cries.

She begged to live again, so he tried to break her bond to her core. For a moment, she thought it would work, but then the binary began to pulse around her and she was trapped into something much different.

…01001001 00100000 01000001 01001101…

She tried to struggle against it, she tried to maintain her sense of self.

…01001101 01000101 01010100 01000001 01001100…

That girl who was dying in the hospital, could she remember her? That girl who cried out to a boy as lost as she with a voice she had lost long ago.

…01001001 00100000 01000001 01001101 00100000 01001101 01000101 01010100 01000001 01001100…

Who had she been before that? Did it matter? Did it even matter who she had been after that?

…01001001 00100000 01000001 01001101…

Not really. The person who had fought because it was her duty, that was the only person she remembered being.

…01001001 00100000 01000001 01001101 00100000 01001100 01001001 01001110 01001011…

Even that girl faded. All that was left was a mess of a scientist's hopes, a complacent boy's waning life force, and a soul that didn't even know what it was.

He didn't know what he was any more. Link, the code told him, he was Link, but what did that mean?

He had an awfully long time to figure it out, but he eventually decided Link was dead, and he was Metal. Metal was not Link, Metal was not the hospital girl. He didn't even know who that hospital girl was. In fact, they had never met, and he had never heard of her.

Well, perhaps she wasn't entirely gone, as he was sure he had met Dark Pit somewhere before.

* * *

_**AN- Well, that was weird. Like, seriously weird. I think I explained it the best I could, and I tried only to skip over spoilery things or things we'd already heard, like how an Alchemist Spirit fights. The binary just translates to "I AM METAL I AM LINK", sort of spread out over the code and mixed up a bit, by the way. But to clear things up, the hospital girl became the Alchemist Spirit of Metal through a spell that put her spirit in the core and gave it the power to be used as energy for powerful magic, and Zelda tried to make her think she was Link, which really just ended up with her getting really confused and forgetting pretty much everything.**_

_**So, Gaiden-ly question: who do you think Metal was before she became Metal? She was definitely a character from a game, I'll tell you that much, as were the other two mentioned. Dark Pit, aka Light was someone else from a game, and the girl named Ai mentioned was supposed to be the female Villager and the Spirit of the Love core, hence why she was the weakest medically. I'm sure Metal and Light's identities will be revealed, but for now, guess away!**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	58. Family

_Prologue IV- Fall_

_He knew from the start he had made a mistake. Even with his proficiency at making weapons, he'd never gotten particularly good at using them, making the battlefield a place he was unsuited to be. And still, he'd been told that he was sure to die on that day by the one he cared about more than anyone else. He had promised him his vision would never come true, that they would both survive this battle and greet a future where they could both be happy. Why couldn't he have listened to logic, followed through on his own vow and simply refrained from joining that fight he knew the ending of?_

_It was a simple reason, one perfectly understandable but no less foolish: he hadn't wanted to stand back and watch everyone he'd ever cared about die. A sinking suspicion told him that was how this day would end, and he quickly found he wasn't wrong. The Star Eaters really had pulled out all the stops. One shot and Zelda, the cold, clever girl who had been all too eager to help him from the sidelines had drawn her last breath. Shame, he'd really hoped Link, who had always stood at her side would be able to tell her how he'd felt. He'd shouted it, his voice cracking with tears after she fell. _

_Another shot, and the life extinguished was Lucas, the boy who'd only been able to stop suffering a short time ago. It was painful to see his life cut short, and just after he'd finally made peace with all the loss he had suffered. Though he tried to tell the girl who had almost loved him that he would be with his loved ones once more, Palutena could not hear anything above her own sobs. Even if she could, he was hardly the one best fit to comfort her. _

_Pit, their mutual best friend stood beside her, trying to comfort her, even over the crossfire, but it was a fatal mistake on his part. He paid too much attention to trying to help, and not enough to the battlefield. Without thinking, he threw himself between his friend and a stream of bullets, thinking only that he would surely do the same for him and he didn't deserve an early death. It never crossed his mind he was sacrificing his life, only that he was protecting a friend. _

_The blossoms of red forming on the ground around him told him what a fool he had been. This, it was exactly what he'd been warned of. The person he loved most would find his body and be broken by it, his sorrow great enough to bring about disaster. He was such a fool for not thinking of the consequences. There would have surely been better ways to save a friend without costing his own life, it was careless and brash to act as he had. He couldn't even worry about the fact that his vision was swiftly filling with black forevermore, or that he'd never get to see his friends or love again in this life. No, he could only think of how if this world ended in ruin, it was no one's fault but his own. _

_Lost in the roar of despair and bloodshed, Shulk muttered "I'm so sorry, please forgive me," but he knew it was useless to apologize to one he'd never feel the warmth of again. Perhaps in the world beyond the sky, they might meet again…_

* * *

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty Four- Family_

Light flooded into the house as Lucina opened the door. She let out a small sigh and dropped her overnight bag by the door, hoping her return from her friend's house wasn't heard by her younger brother. The sun was hidden behind the stormy clouds, but she knew it wasn't nearly low enough to allow her to call that day a wrap, as much as she wished it was.

She had genuinely thought she might be able to get over everything, to just go home and live a normal life. Really, she should have known that would be impossible the moment she told Cynthia of her new role in the world. Even now, her friend wouldn't stop calling her a "Hero of Justice", only making her feel like more of a coward.

Trying to tell Cynthia none of that was important anymore had felt so wrong, like she was just writing off all she had seen, everyone she'd met, all she'd done. Had she implied she didn't care any longer about the massacres caused by Grima and Mr. L? Was she saying Marth never mattered, or Pit, or Ness? Did she no longer want to hold herself accountable for forcing Lucas to accompany them? Just thinking over it in her mind made her feel like she had blocked out things that deserved her memory.

"You okay, Lucy?"; her brother's voice broke through her thoughts. He sounded so casual, reminding her once more how profoundly grateful she was that he did not bear a core.

Turning towards him, she gave a shake of the head. "No, not really," she admitted. "Morgan, I want your opinion on something… on-on the Alchemist Knight thing."

Oddly, her little brother bore a huge grin. "Great! I was hoping you'd want to talk about all that again. Actually, I had something I wanted to ask you about too."

What was he talking about. With a lurch, Marth came to her mind, and she was sure he was going to ask why the blue-haired prince was no longer staying with them. Nervously, she prompted "Go on," anxious to get it over with.

Skillfully, Morgan defied her expectations and somehow made the conversation worse than she had anticipated. "Well, you have time-travel powers, right?", he questioned.

Her mind quickly decoded his meaning, but still, she nodded for him to go on. "Well, doesn't that mean you could go back in time to before Mom and Dad died and save them?", he proposed, a hopeful smile on his face.

There was something expecting in his voice, like when he was young and would ask Lyn so sweetly to buy him a toy or candy. He fully and wholeheartedly expected Lucina to go along with it, to smile back and say that she would gladly do anything to make him happy. Oh, how she wished she could do that.

"Morgan, just think for a moment what you're asking," Lucina began as calmly as she could. "If I were to go back in time and stop our parents' deaths, we would have never lived with Lyn and Jeff, and-"

The innocent hope in her brother's eyes turned to a sour frown in an instant. "But they aren't our real parents!", he protested. "Jeff isn't around enough to even call him a part of our lives, and Lyn's nice, but she's not really a mom, and I know you know that too!"

"Let me finish!", Lucina cried out, taking deep breaths to stop an explosion like the one that had led to Roy getting possessed by Grima. "I was going to say, we would have never been friends with Roy and Lillina, and we don't even know for sure our parents wouldn't have moved eventually. For all we know, if we were to change that part of our lives, we wouldn't have met any of our friends. Would you really be willing to have never met Kjelle and Yarne? Or Nah, would you want to lose her?"

Morgan bit his lip like he did when he was uncertain of something. "Of course I don't!", he exclaimed, eyes shining with a blue intensity. "I love how my life is now, but I also think we owe it to our parents to save them if we can. I mean, isn't that the right thing to do?"

Lucina fixed her gaze on the window in the living room, which was starting to get splattered with raindrops. A downpour was starting, and judging by how dark the sky had turned just in the past few minutes, it was sure to last for a long time. "I… I don't know," she admitted softly. "I've been asking myself that question ever since I met them in the past, but-"

"Wait, you met our parents?", Morgan interrupted in outrage. "When? Why didn't you tell me?"

Cold horror ran down the back of Lucina's neck. She never did tell Morgan about that, did she? Was it a simple matter of forgetting, or had she decided against mentioning it to him for his own wellbeing? Really, she couldn't remember. "A few weeks ago," she slowly started to explain. "Right at the start of this whole thing. We went to go find one of the Alchemist Knights in this town about twenty years ago, and I met our parents while we were there. They helped us stop one of the Celestial Guardians from killing a bunch of people, but we couldn't save everyone. Ness said that's how Aunt Emmeryn died, actually."

A look of both confusion and rage burned through her. "How much happened?", Morgan questioned.

"What do you mea-"

"I mean," He repeated it with even more spite lacing his voice. "What all happened while you were off saving the universe that you didn't tell me about?"

Sighing, Lucina tried to focus more on the rain. The soft, steady beating, surely it would help calm her nerves. Finally, she let out an answer: "A lot, really. I met so many people, so many people that were hurt more deeply than I thought possible, but I don't want to tell you about it."

At long last, Morgan's glare softened. "Bad memories?", he asked. "It's okay, I won't ask you about it if you don't want to think about it."

"No," she corrected, and she wished she hadn't. "I need to think about it, need to get it through my head, but I don't want to worry you with all of that. Everything that happened, it's really nothing you need to worry about."

A hand rested lightly on her shoulder. "Lucy, your problems are my problems," her brother affirmed. "That's how siblings work."

"But I'm your big sister," she murmured. "I have to protect you from things like that."

Somehow, her brother's smile felt less warm and more like one Red might bear. "Come on, sis, I'm fourteen, I can handle anything you can!", he declared brightly.

"No, you can't!", Lucina exclaimed, the memory of a boy sobbing over the body of his dead friend flashing back into her mind. "Ness, he was fourteen as well, and everything he went through completely broke him! Lucas wasn't much older, and he'd gotten to the point to where he couldn't care about anything because of all he'd lost. Pit, he lost everything he ever cared about when he was younger than you, and he didn't recover at all from it for ages. Morgan, I know you don't want to hear me say this, but you're still a kid, I don't want you to have to even hear about things like this, let alone live them."

Bitterly, Morgan muttered "You didn't seem all that worried about Roy."

"Roy didn't have a choice but to come," Lucina countered. "Besides, he's always been more mature than you, he took everything even better than I-"

"Oh, so that's what this is about!", her brother suddenly and violently spat. "You want to not change the past so you won't lose Roy!"

She gulped and took another deep breath. "That's part of it, sure, but only because I know he needs me too," she explained as calmly as she could. "There are a lot of people who need both of us, not just Mother and Father, and I just think it's best for the most people to keep things as they are."

There was no fire in her brother's glare this time, only cold. "You just want to protect your new friends, don't you?", he accused. Lucina had nothing to defend herself with from that. "Well, maybe it's best for your family, but it's not best for mine."

With that, he cast another piercing, chilly stare at her and stalked off towards his room, slamming the door shut. With a sigh, she cast another glance outside. It was already coming down hard, but with the proper cover, it would probably be alright for a head-clearing walk. From the pot by the door she grabbed an umbrella and threw the door back open. Opening it above her head and closing the door back, she breathed in the damp air.

The soft thud of both her footsteps and the rain punctuated every thought. Had she really started to value the Alchemist Knights above her own family? War tended to bring people closer, but was it really a bad thing to want to protect such broken people? Morgan was the most important person to her, she'd always, always said that, but was that still true? She knew it should have been, but she had to wonder if perhaps she'd been caring more about the people she'd met more recently as of late.

This inner debate continued until she ran into someone in front of her. "Sorry!", she quickly apologized, but it was greeted by familiar laughter.

"It's fine," Ike assured her. "I've been looking for you. You wouldn't pick up your phone, so I didn't know how else to find you."

Her phone had kept going off while she was at Cynthia's place, but she hadn't thought much of it. Inigo had been texting them so constantly Ike's messages must have gotten lost in the flood. "Sorry, I was kind of busy," she half-bluffed. Looking up at her friend, she saw someone who looked a bit pale and tired, but much better than she would have expected. "So, how have you been?"

"Oh, not bad," he answered with a strained chuckle. "Or at least not as bad as I thought I'd be. But I've been thinking, maybe we shouldn't have left."

This was her invitation back to the suffering, to the caring about everyone far more than she should given how very little she really knew them. Something in the back of her mind told her she was being foolish when she gave the Knight of Fire a small smile. "I've been thinking the same."

* * *

_**AN- Well, we finally have a Lucina chapter. Funny, I was starting to forget why I'd named this after her. And wow, she handled that way better than she did when Roy was pretty much being her in this argument and she was being Morgan. Guess someone learned their lesson: when you fight with your little brother figure, they will inevitably stalk off and get possessed by a crazy tactician. Wait…**_

_**So, chapterly question: dat prologue, tho. Okay, that's not a question. In fact, that is a stupid, and I apologize for it. So, better question: now we know what the prologues have been about… sorta. We know it can't be what happened in this version of the story, since Zelda died before Lucas, who did not die by exploding core, and Link was still alive, and it can't be a vision because it was made pretty clear Shulk wasn't the one having them in that story. So, what do you think it means? The answer… well, you'll just have to wait to find that out. Well, unless you hit lucky 150 on the review slot, because I'm still answering questions for whoever hits a multiple of 25 of the review counter. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_

_**PS, proper order of prologues: third, fourth, second, first.**_


	59. Rain

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty Five- Rain_

The rain was coming down in cascades now, Lucina noted. The cool, dampness of the air was such a pleasant change from all the summer's brutal heat, and before that the airless room-temperature stability of the Observatory. Even if she was still worked up from everything that had happened recently, she was still happy somehow. Perhaps it was just knowing someone who felt the same was standing beside her that made her feel better, or the raindrops falling onto her skin and waking her up.

"So," Ike half-gasped as they walked. "I've been talking to Shulk."

She wanted to ask how, but he'd mentioned a communicator at some point, hadn't he? Looking back, she could see a black bangle the same shade as the metal parts of his umbrella around his wrist, one he'd tried to figure out how to use while time had been stopped in the Mushroom Kingdom in vain. "Oh, really? What'd you two talk about?"

"Not much, really," he told casually, as if he were just mentioning a conversation with a mutual friend and not a fellow soldier. "Actually, come to think of it, we talked about you. Nothing bad- well, I might have said I didn't think you knew what you were doing, but I was tired and-"

A small sigh escaped her mouth. "Well, it's true," she muttered. "I have no clue, really, but I guess that goes for all of us."

Ike chuckled. "Yeah, that's about what Shulk said. Speaking of him, he said there was something he wanted our help with."

Of course they were still fighting on without them. An awful thought struck Lucina like a lightning bolt; what if something awful had happened while they had been gone? Just like lightning, the horror was brief, as she quickly assured herself Shulk would have mentioned something to Ike, and if someone had died, it would have been the first thing Ike would have said to her. "Well, as soon as we get Roy, we'll go there," she decided.

"Oh, that's where we're going?", Ike questioned. "Didn't realize we were actually going anywhere."

Come to think of it, neither had she. But, the way they were walking was in the direction of Roy's house, so her legs must have decided upon it before her mind. "Well, the four of us went into this together, and we left it together, so we should go back into this together, right?"

"'Four of us'?", Ike repeated in a hollow voice, and with a lurch she realized what she had said.

"Three of us," she quickly amended. "Sorry, for a minute I'd thought Ness had come with us."

A blatant lie, but perhaps it would dull the pain. "I wish it had been four," a small voice admitted. "I'd really wanted Marth to stay with us, but I guess that just wasn't meant to be. We never found out why you two looked alike, did we?"

Loss came crashing back, and she knew both were grieving the prince. "I guess we didn't." She'd almost forgotten the one they'd lost had been her mirror image. "I always sort of figured I was his great-great-great granddaughter or grandniece or something or something, but I guess his bloodline died out before that could really happen."

"I thought it was something with the Star core, but unless Shulk dyes his hair that can't be right." Ike was almost laughing. It sounded remarkably wrong, like he was forcing himself to not be upset.

Tears began burning at Lucina's eyes, but not for Marth. No, they were for the fissures that had almost certainly tore through Ike's mind to make him laugh like that. "It's okay to cry, you know," she assured him.

"I've done that enough," Ike stated flatly. "He'd want us to move on, right?"

A chord of thunder pierced the air, and a bright flash came from rather near Lucina's house. Something sounded odd about that thunder, but she couldn't think clear enough to place it. Rather, the buzzing of her phone broke her thoughts. A quick glance at it revealed a message from Morgan: "Sorry about earlier. Love you."

She would have answered with a "Love you too", but she quickly realized she needed to make a turn onto Roy's street and put her phone away so she wouldn't miss his house.

* * *

Whatever song his music player had come up with was reverberating through his ears. He couldn't remember its name for the life of him, but he knew it sounded familiar. "Ripples on the waves, battles on the brain", what song was that, anyways?

Drops of water were pounding against the roof. Drops of water had stopped falling from his eyes long ago, but Roy was still starkly reminded of the rain that had been falling when they had met Marth. It was a nice day, at least, but freezing cold. The mystery song played on: "Can you ease my mind, can you feel the strain?"

People had always seemed to find it odd he wore long sleeves even in summer, but conversely, he couldn't see how others wore so little when it wasn't particularly warm. Even when others begged for the sun to go ahead and burn them alive to save them the agony, he was still cold. Really, the only time he ever felt warm was when he was running a fever, and even then, that was when most felt oddly chilled, if the flu Lucina had contracted several winters ago was anything to judge by. At least he had an explanation for that, now.

The stone Tiki had gave him glowed brightly in the light coming from his desk lamp. Even on its own it cast blue light strong enough he had to put something over it when he was trying to sleep. Vaguely, many times over the past week, he'd wondered if perhaps it was a trump card he could have used at some point. When this came to his mind, he told it firmly to shut up and stop worrying about things that were in the past.

Somehow, he didn't regret leaving the Alchemist Knights behind at all. As he saw it, he had so very little of his life to live normally, it was stupid to waste it with things that would only make his existence harder. A normal summer, that wasn't something he'd get many more of, and he didn't want to use it fighting for people he didn't care about.

He told himself all that, but it wasn't exactly true. For instance, he sort of wished he would have gotten to talk to Pit a bit more. He was an angel, after all, surely he knew what not being human was like. Then again, with as far into the future as he came from, it was doubtful many people were fully human at all. Shulk and Palutena, they'd looked fairly normal, but for all he knew they could have been humanoid aliens.

And also, he was glad he'd been with Lucina, at least. All of the things they'd been through, it made him sure she was the person he cared most about. Not romantically, at least not anymore, but most definitely something a bit deeper than friendship. And in a way, he was also glad he had met Marth and Ike, even if he had rarely spoken to the former and rarely spoken kindly to the latter.

Sharp tapping at his door interrupted his thoughts and the song that had all but become background noise to them. By this point, it was nearly over, with the singer crying out, lamenting something or other about rippling waves. "Come in!", he called, pulling out his earbuds and expecting his father to tell him he needed to do dishes or take out the trash or something he'd forgotten to do.

Rather, someone else's voice came through the door as it creaked open. "Hey," Lucina greeted softly.

Shock running through him like distant thunder, he turned to the door. Lucina was standing in the doorway hesitantly, like she was nervous to enter. He would have told her to stop being ridiculous and act like she'd been to his house ten thousand times if it wasn't for one- no, two things. For one, Ike was standing behind her, and for another thing, the two of them were wearing the odd clothing that indicated they had activated their cores.

Roy sighed. "So you want to go back?", he mused. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"I just feel like we left behind something important," explained the Knight of Time. "You don't have to come, but I didn't want to leave you behind."

A crossroad clearly spread out before him. Somehow, he knew if he chose wrong, someone would suffer the consequences. The beating of rain, the glimmering of the Dragonstone, and a vague memory of the times he'd loved being a hero with his friends. They all told him he wasn't quite done yet.

"Fine," he agreed, and he grabbed the stone off his bedside table and the red pendant beside it. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to finish off the Star Eaters before moving on with my summer."

Lucina rushed in and embraced him tightly. A thank you wasn't necessary, and it didn't come. She simply smiled as she released the hug. Behind her, he could see Ike staring vacantly at him, a smile slowly creeping up on his oddly pale face.

Without a word, the three left the room, and proceeded towards the front door. His father was sitting in the living room, turned towards them expectantly. "Um, Dad, I might be away for a while," Roy explained. Somehow, he couldn't really find the words to say he'd be safe. "Er, so, um…"

"I promise I'll protect him, sir," Lucina finished.

With a sudden motion, his father stood up and locked him in a hug. "I know you will," he stated with great certainty and a smile directed towards Lucina. "I'm proud of you," he told Roy with a distant smile perfectly explained by his next words, given as he released the hug. "Your mother would be too."

As they left, Lucina pulled out an umbrella. "I kind of doubt it'll be raining at the Observatory," she half-chuckled. She didn't put it away, though, even when she took the Time core in her empty hand. "Alright, so we just need to-"

She cut herself off with sudden realization dawning in her eyes. "Wait, how exactly would we go to the Observatory?", she questioned, no one providing an answer.

Ike started to fiddle with some black thing on his wrist that Roy vaguely remembered him shouting into once before. "One sec, if I can turn this on," he muttered under his breath.

A static-filled voice pierced the air from the device. "Great, you got the others," the voice exclaimed. "Good thing, too. This operation's proving to be a bit more, er, large-scale than we'd anticipated."

"Can you warp us there?", Ike requested, and he was met with a dry laugh.

"Well, I could," mused Shulk. "But you have the Time core. Just use it."

Lucina stared at the indigo stone blankly before declaring "But we can't use it to warp where we want, only to move across time!"

"Then explain how you used it to end up in Saffron City, which is about several continents and three hundred years away?"

Saffron City, that was where they'd met Red and Leaf, wasn't it? But hadn't that been a thousand years in their future in the same geographical location? That was roughly Lucina's counterargument, which was met with a dismissive "You must have not figured out how it works, then."

"But we did!", Ike protested. "Warp on its own moves us a thousand years back, and if we specify a time it moves us that far from our starting position, and if we tell it to warp home-"

"That last part's right, but nothing else," the crackling voice explained. "I'll give you one hint: the only additional command you can give it to make it go where you want it 'home'. Other than that, Warp will always work in a specific way. I'll see you guys later."

The air fell silent, save for the falling of rain. "What was that about?", Roy questioned flatly. "Shulk doesn't really seem like the type to play tricks like that."

Ike shrugged and Lucina focused her gaze intensely on the core once more. "We might as well try it," she decided after a moment. "Maybe it really does work in some different way, or maybe he's just lying for some reason, but it's worth a try."

As she cried "Warp to the Observatory!", an indigo circle spread out under the umbrella. Its light enveloped them, just as it had on their first days of fighting, and faded to reveal a familiar skyline from a hill.

"Well, that didn't exactly work," Lucina muttered under her breath.

Another voice cried out behind them. "Oh, didn't it?" They turned to face Leaf, who was giving an odd smile. "Nice to see you again."

* * *

_**AN- And thus begins a part of the story I have been looking forward to for a long time. Okay, maybe not quite yet, but we're very close to it. In the meantime, have some Roy! I haven't done much with him in a while, so he's going to be pretty darn important in these next few chapters. Also, that song Roy was listening to is from a Pokemon Manga, and not mine. **_

_**So, chapterly question: I've asked this before, but I'd like to hear it again now that we're further in. Who is your favorite of the main characters? You are allowed to say characters that are dead. I like Ike, Marth, Shulk, and Pit an awful lot personally, but I'd like to hear the thoughts of you lovely people. **_

_**So, thanks for reading, and special thanks to AngeloHeroOfLight for telling me to use two POVs in this chapter! –Twilight Joltik**_


	60. Blood

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty Six- Blood_

"Roy!", exclaimed Leaf, her eyes shimmering with the same red-brown as her brother. No, that wasn't quite right. The more Roy looked at them, the more her eyes seemed to be as purely brown as coffee before it was drowned in creamer. Considering how intensely the Pokémon Trainer was staring at him, it was impossible to look elsewhere. "I'm glad you're here! I've been wanting to see you for ages!"

Something about Leaf's gaze made Roy's cheeks burn, and whatever it was, it probably was also why Lucina was giggling faintly. "N-nice to see you too, Leaf," he replied over the intensely caffeinated gaze. "Yeah, we probably should get going, though. We weren't supposed to end up here."

She gave a crooked, almost teasing grin, the same her older brother would so often bear. "I thought you were looking for that little cutie with blond hair- oh, what was his name, Shale or something?"

"You mean Shulk?", Ike questioned. "But how would you know-"

A small giggle came from the girl. "Oh, did he not tell you? He and the other Alchemist Knights are trying to track down one of the Celestial Knights here."

"Celestial Guardians, not Celestial Knights," Roy corrected.

"And no, he didn't," Ike added. "Never said a thing about it."

The glare of coffee started to burn, and Leaf assumed a small, pouty smile. "Whatever," she haughtily muttered under her breath. "Like it really matters what we call the people who want to kill us. Yeah, so, like I was saying, the one that's pretending to be Blue is supposed to be somewhere around here, and they've been looking for her."

"Pretending to be Blue" was an interesting way to put it. From what he'd gathered from Red, Roy had supposed she was the person who Leaf had told them had died, only corrupted just like the others had been. Had she interpreted it wrong, or had Red told her that so she wouldn't think her hero had betrayed them? The latter seemed like something Red might do, considering he was the kind of person the longer one was around, the more unsure they became he was telling the truth.

"Er, so, if the others are out, why are you here?", questioned Lucina, bursting the awkward silence that had formed and finally taking Leaf's eyes off of Roy.

With something resembling resentment, Leaf shifted her narrowing gaze towards the tall buildings in the distance. "They wanted someone to stay behind for when you lot came," she explained almost bitterly. "And for whatever reason, it had to be an Iris, so it was either me or my sibling. I still don't know why Chalk made me stay instead of Red, but I guess there was probably some reason in there somewhere." She began fiddling with a flower-shaped ring, but whether it was habitual or on purpose, he couldn't tell.

"An Iris?", Lucina repeated.

Leaf reassumed her cheerful grin and turned her eyes back towards them. "Yeah. You know, Red Iris, Leaf Iris, that's our name."

Iris, the name sounded so familiar, but knew Red had never told him it was his. Casting a glance towards Lucina, he could tell the gears were turning in her head as well to try to divine some meaning in the word.

With a sudden motion, Leaf turned around to face some unseen thing off in the distance and began to walk in the same direction. "Y'know, come to think of it, they probably should be getting back about now," she told them, not even bothering to turn her head to ask them to follow. "C'mon, they'll be glad to see you all."

All three of them followed her without thought, but the silence that came with walking made Roy realize something very odd about this conversation. Leaf had been acting oddly unnatural, like she was talking only to get things into their heads subliminally. Was it possible she'd planted the name Iris just so they'd figure out what it meant? And if so, why?

The silence was breached by Leaf once more. "Oh, forgot to ask, how have you been? It's been a while since you've been around, I was starting to worry something'd happened."

"Things did happen," Ike stated flatly. "Lots of bad things happened and lots people died. Really, we've just been trying to process it all."

She whipped her head around to look at the three of them, but her eyes settled on an empty void of air somewhere between Ike and Lucina. "Where'd that pretty boy go, anyways?" When she was met with silence, she gave an odd huff and looked rather amused. "Y'know, the one with the tiara and the weird cloak?"

Roy was almost positive Ike was going to punch her right then and there. Considering he practically charged at her and stopped rather close to her, his blue-fire eyes trying to evaporate her coffee ones, he still wasn't entirely certain that wasn't what he had meant to do before he'd thought better of it. "Marth's dead, so stop making fun of him!", he snarled, and Leaf met him with a sneer so very like the ones her brother gave that for a moment he doubted that they hadn't been talking to the Knight of Blood.

"Oh, really?", she questioned, her glare lightening to a sympathetic smile. "What a shame, he was really nice. Sorry to hear that, especially for you, Lucina."

Lucina looked confused for a moment before letting out a strained, awkward chuckle. "Um, we weren't related, you know."

"Were you not?", Leaf questioned without any of the surprise in her voice showing on her face. "Weird, I was so sure you were. You two look so much alike I wouldn't have been surprised if you were cousins or brother and sister or something."

They hadn't ever found out why that was, had they? Roy suddenly realized he'd all but forgotten that mystery after learning of his own draconic heritage. Was bringing this up another one of the tricks he was increasingly certain Leaf was playing on them? Her oddly smug attitude certainly suggested it, and it was starting to get a bit grating.

"Leaf, what are you doing?", he questioned. "You're acting like you're trying to tell us something, so spit it out!"

She began to walk forwards once more, turning away and going past Ike, who was still glaring at her rather furiously. "Okay, you've got me," she resigned, throwing her hands up in defeat. "The Monado boy wanted me to explain something to you, but that sounds boring. Besides, you're smart, figure it out."

Honestly, he hadn't remembered her being this insufferable. In fact, he hadn't even remembered her brother being this insufferable. "Challenge accepted," he flatly stated, and began to go over what he'd gathered out loud. "Okay, Iris was a hint, I've got that, and maybe that flower ring you're wearing, and maybe something about Marth and Shulk? Anything else?"

"Shulk, was that his name? I couldn't remem-"

Lucina cut Leaf off with a frustrated cry: "If you aren't going to tell us what it is you're trying to make us figure out, you could at very least give us an idea what we're aiming for!"

"Okay, fine," conceded the Pokémon Trainer in an exaggerated voice. "I want you to figure out why the Time core brought you here of all places."

Miraculously, Leaf had somehow reached Green-levels of obnoxiousness. Really, the sweet little girl they'd met a few weeks ago, what had happened to her? "How does the fact that you have a last name and that last name happens to be Iris have anything whatsoever to do with the fact that we can't figure out how Lucina's magic works?", Ike shouted.

Leaf whirred around once more and leaned in a bit too close to Roy's face. "Come on, dragon boy, figure it out," she sneered.

Something about her saying that didn't seem quite right, and it took a minute for him to really register what exactly it was. "Wait, how would you know I'm part Manakete?", he questioned. "I never told you that."

"There are other people who can tell me about dragons, kid," she replied almost uncaringly as she continued to walk ahead, and it very suddenly occurred to Roy why she was acting so oddly.

To confirm his suspicions, the chain of a silver necklace that was tucked into her shirt glinted as a breeze blew her hair aside. "So the first time Lucina used Warp, it brought us to Marth, the second time it brought us to Leaf, and the third time it brought us to Red," Roy declared. "Is that part of it?"

In response, "Leaf" pulled the Blood core from under the shirt and held it to the side where the others could see it. "See, Ice Burn, told ya you were smart," Red praised. "And before you ask, I mostly just did this to mess with you guys. Really, I've been bored to death for the past week, and this provided enough entertainment to make up for every agonizing minute I had to spend watching Salt and Creepy Science Girl do science things."

While his two companions basically sputtered in shock and confusion, Roy found himself amused by the whole thing. With a chuckle, he began to try and talk everything out. "Okay, so you and Leaf are named Iris? I know I've heard that before, but where…"

"Nah!", Lucina suddenly exclaimed. "Her last name is Iris!"

He was momentarily confused as to what exactly she had just said until he remembered talking to Morgan's girlfriend about being a Manakete, and Tiki later referring to her as "miss Iris". "Oh, right! So, if Lucina is distantly related to Marth, then maybe, in theory, if Morgan and Nah were to get married and have children, you might be descended from said children!"

"And you've got it!", Red exclaimed. "Nice job, kid. See, wasn't that a lot more fun than me just telling you all that while not wearing a skirt?"

There wasn't really much a person could say in response to that other than "Uh… not- not really, I guess."

"And that means Warp traces my bloodline?", Lucina finished.

Casting a sneering grin back, Red chuckled lightly. "Exactly. That's' what- what was his name, Shulk?- told me to tell you. Well, except you're a little off on exactly how closely I'm related to you, Beautifly. Just think on it for a minute."

It took a few seconds for Roy to realize something strikingly similar to what he'd realized sitting on a hill beside an abandoned warehouse several years before he was born. "Wait, so if Nah's half Manakete, then her child would be one-fourth. So, I guess that makes you part Manakete if you're descended from that child. A sixteenth or a thirty-second, maybe."

"An eighth, actually," Red amended. "Our father was Lucina's nephew."

Lucina looked rather faint after hearing that. "It's a long story," Red dismissed. "Basically, he left our mom after realizing how long he'd outlive her and we took his mom's name 'cause Manaketes are matriarchal or something and our mom wanted us to keep his name for whatever reason. See, boring, but not really important."

"But if you're so closely related to Lucina, then why would she have warped to Marth if he's only kind of related to her?", Ike countered.

A gap of silence, and the secret base where Green had led them once was very suddenly very close to them. "No idea," Red admitted. "Well, not really important now. Besides, we're already here, so let's just not ask anyone about that once we get inside? I swear, Shale was about to explode trying to figure that out."

Red tapped out a vaguely familiar pattern on the door, and the real Leaf answered it. After gaping at her brother for several seconds, she sighed. "You know, I thought you were kidding when you said that," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

_**AN- Red is a special snowflake, and also gets extremely bored. I'm guessing it was also to relieve stress after the whole everyone dying thing. Also, I have to admit, I didn't always plan for Red and Leaf to be closely related to Lucina. In fact, I gave Nah and Red the same surname by accident, 'cause Nah's surname in my notes was Sol, but somewhere down the line I turned it into Iris, and now they are related. In other news, Lucas is back for Smash DLC, and I haven't squeed that much since Lucina and Robin were announced. Shame I already killed him. **_

_**So, as of the time of writing, I currently have more reviews on this story than there are Pokémon in Kanto. Therefore, I must celebrate this momentous occasion somehow. So, instead of me asking you a Chapterly Question, you all will ask me a question. It can be about this story, or it can be about another story or fandom, but I would prefer if it isn't spoilery or too personal. I will answer them in the next Author's Note, but do note that if you don't read the rules and ask a spoilery question I will answer it in the trolliest way possible. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	61. Resonance

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty Seven- Resonance_

Something was up with Metal as of late. The freaky robot kept staring at Dark Pit like he wanted to talk to him, but it never escalated into an actual conversation. Really, it unnerved him that he was forced to look head-on at the fake being, but he also felt bad for thinking like that. After all, he was a fake person as well, so who was he to judge Metal for the same reason. Not to mention the mere fact he took the name Metal seemed to imply at least some part of him was an Alchemist Spirit as well, but wasn't the Spirit of the Metal core a girl? He only remembered talking to her a few times, but he was positive she had been female.

He shrugged this thought off. Maybe Metal was a girl but no one had ever questioned whether he was or not because his shell looked like a creepy metal and plastic rendition of a young boy. Either way, it didn't really matter, he supposed. In the end, it really was just a bunch of random thoughts from his brain to give it something to do while they waited for the others to show up.

Fortunately, seeing the look on Leaf's face when her older brother came to the door wearing her exact appearance made up for any boredom he might have had tenfold. The lightning-quick dropping of her cheerful demeanor to an annoyed, flat look of disdain was worth it alone, but combined with the minor existential crisis he could very directly see going through Green's head, it was probably the best thing he'd seen in eons.

"Red, stop that," Green finally scolded after his pained look dissolved.

Leaf's exact clone giggled and ran into the room. "Oh, do you not think I look good like this, Green?", Red questioned with a wink. It was impossible to hold back laughter now; Palutena seemed to be dying of laughter just as he was.

Green turned a bright crimson to contrast his name and after staring for a moment, turned away and squinted his eyes shut. "No. No I do not," he stated firmly.

From behind, Roy grabbed the Knight of Blood's core and pulled it far enough away that the illusion faded and left a rather annoyed looking Red. "Hey," he flatly snarled. "I wasn't done with that yet. Give it back, I wanna see how Ethan and May like it."

With a sigh, the Knight of Ice handed the core back to Red and then glared at Green. "You owe me," he huffed, while Green simply looked confused.

"Wait, how did you deactivate it just by taking it away from him?", questioned the annoying spiky-haired conspiracy theorist in a rather smug manner, as if he was looking to be proven right about something. "I did the same thing to you, but it didn't do anything to your powers."

What a shocker, Green was being insufferable, Dark Pit thought. In other news, the sky was blue, the grass outside was sort of green but mostly dead, and Zelda lacked basic human empathy. Plus he was both annoying and wrong. How lovely, that meant he got to correct him.

"Actually, most of the cores continue to affect their users so long as they are within a ten-meter radius of it. However, considering the Love, Air, and Blood cores have passive powers that are perpetually active without codewords, they deactivate whenever not directly touching their wielders.," he corrected. "In other words, shut up."

Blankly, the idiotic jerk stared at him for a moment, looking fully astonished. Holding true to another inevitable fact of life, Dark Pit could vaguely hear Shulk jotting what he'd just said down. The trio of Alchemist Knights that had come in with Red looked rather amused by the entire thing, and also rather like they wished they would have been able to do the same. The only ones that didn't seem to be grateful for his heroic actions were Metal and Zelda, which was about as surprising as it was to hear Green say something stupid.

Once things calmed down, it was Lucina to step forward and speak. "So, why did you need us here?", she questioned. "I mean, L- er, Red told us why you were here, but why did you say you needed us here as well?"

"Well, from what we've heard, you know of Cobalt's connection to the Silph Corporation, right?", Shulk began. He was met with awkward silence. "Okay, m-maybe that was the wr-wrong question. Er, Blue, d-do you know of h-her connection to them?"

After a moment, Lucina finally replied with "Oh, right. Leaf said they killed her, but if she's Cobalt, then that isn't the case, right?"

"Remember what Lucas said back when we were fighting her?", Red prompted.

Another awkward silence. "He made me say something like 'I'll kill you, coward!' or something, didn't he?", Ike provided.

Somehow, only Red and Dark Pit seemed to find that funny. "No, the other thing," Red corrected with a snicker. "The thing about Cobalt thinking a lot about some guy named Silver?"

"I vaguely remember that," Lucina muttered. "So, did you find out who he is?"

Dark Pit would have loved to have said he didn't jump, flinch, or let out a cry of surprise when Shulk tapped him on the shoulder. "Yes, actually. Dark Pit told me he was one of the old leaders of the Star Eaters back in the First Celestial War."

"Yeah, he was completely terrible," he told them in a deadpan. "He wore a cape even stupider than the ones you three have on."

That particular joke seemed to fall flat. "So, looked into it a bit, and I think I found out who this person was," Shulk explained. "The son of the CEO of Silph's son's name was Silver, but he was reported missing here several years ago and never showed up. Not sure of his motives, but I managed to find a newspaper from back then with his picture, and Dark Pit said it was a close match for the Star Eater he fought, so I think there must be a connection there."

"So, we know that Cobalt has a connection with Silph. What now?", Roy questioned. "Are we just gonna break in there and ask the CEO if he knows where Cobalt might be so we can fight her?"

Red gave a small chuckle. "Good one. Actually, what we have in mind is even stupider."

"See, when we met, Red was away pursuing an experiment we'd heard Silph was doing," Green told. "This experiment, as Red told us, turned out to be an exceptionally powerful Pokémon. Considering he barely escaped it with his life, and this experiment has ties to Pallet Town as well, it's possible this is the thing Blue knew about that she was attacked for, and she might be going after it."

Lucina gave a concentrated frown. "So we're going after this Pokémon? Sounds like an awfully dangerous thing to do for a hunch like that."

"Normally I'd agree, but really, it's the best lead we've got," Shulk admitted. "Besides, the only other option I see is just waiting around for her or Grima or Midna to attack us and hoping we can take them., and considering how well their last attack went, I sort of doubt that's a good idea."

Tentatively and shakily, Lucina nodded. "I suppose you have a point."

"Yeah, and even if we don't see Cobalt there, we can always just catch it ourselves," Red provided. "I mean, I went up against that thing, and I didn't stand a chance! If we can have that kind of power on our side, we'll be able to take out those stupid Celestial Knights in one shot!"

Time, Ice, and Fire exchanged uneasy glances among themselves before a sort of mutual bond dissolved all three into laughter. "Sorry, sorry," Lucina apologized in response to the odd looks they were getting. "It's just, well, this feels really familiar, with us going off on some crazy plan based on Green and Leaf's plans to avenge Blue."

"Just promise not to try to kill us this time, okay?", Roy requested with a grin he'd never really seen him wear.

Green looked somewhere between annoyed and embarrassed, but gave a curt nod and returned the odd smile. "We'll leave as soon as May and Ethan get back with the Poké Balls, got it?"

Something about that statement and the gravity with which it was said was absolutely hilarious, but Dark Pit wasn't given much time to muse on it. Instead, his thoughts were rudely interrupted by a pattern being banged out on the door, and Leaf rushing to open it.

"Great, you guys are here!", she warmly greeted the pair who entered. The girl was vaguely familiar, and he vaguely remembered meeting her a day or so ago. However, the boy with her made him feel remarkably on edge.

The boy- what did they say he was called, "Ethan"?- he looked around, his golden eyes widening in shock when passing over Metal and Pit's wings, but said nothing outside of "Green, you're paying me back for those. Ultra Balls and Dusk Balls are really pricey, and chances are we'll either not use half of them or not a single one will come close to catching it." when dropping several paper bags on the floor. Still, something about him was distinctly familiar.

Metal's aperture eyes were fixated on him as well. If they were both Alchemist Spirits, and both recognized him, chances were that meant something, but what he couldn't exactly place. He couldn't feel any recognition coming off of Pit, so it must have been an older generation, but he looked nothing like any of the first Alchemist Knights. Something else occurred to him, that perhaps he was an Alchemist Spirit as well, but he brushed that aside quickly. His body didn't look fake, it looked very concrete and not at all like a cheap copy of someone else's.

"So, we're leaving in five minutes," Red decided. "Anyone who fails to come with us will become food for May's Sharpedo, got it?"

"Yeah, you guys have fun dying without us," May remarked. "Ethan and I will be staying here, and with you gone, we'll sell off Green's computers and split the profits, okay?"

Ethan gave a very distinctly familiar scoff. "Yeah, we'll split them eighty-twenty," he muttered under his breath. "That might start to cover the costs of those Ultra Balls."

And very suddenly, it came crashing into him why Ethan seemed so familiar. He knew now how unsetting it must have been for Pit to meet him, someone that was such a bizarre mirror of yourself. However, this mirror wasn't reflecting his appearance, but his attitude. Somehow, he knew with the sneer Ethan gave as Green rolled his eyes and gave a stupid response that he was meeting himself. How Ethan was him, he did not know, but he supposed his soul had to have lived somewhere before it lived in the Light core.

* * *

_**AN- Ethan is the name of the male protagonist of HeartGold and SoulSilver. You might know him better as Gold, which is who most of his personality is based on. If you don't know that specific Gold, I recommend looking into Pokémon Special, or Pokémon Adventures as it is known in the West. Also, this chapter really does feel like one from the first ten chapters. Shame we've lost a member that was there the first time around with this setting and tone. **_

_**So, chapterly question: I know I have about a million and four subplots, but who's do you like the most? I'd tell you my opinion on mine, but it's sort of a spoiler. Also, for the question asked by SakuraDreamerz, I'd think Morgan and Nah's date went rather well, considering Red's bloodline indicates they eventually married. Also, dear readers, I sort of like being able to answer questions like this, so please keep asking them. Besides, this time we're celebrating Meganium number of reviews, and I love Meganium. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_

_**PS, if you're wondering if the chapter name is a Soul Eater reference, of course it is, but that's not the only joke here.**_


	62. Cerulean

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty Eight- Cerulean_

Everything was set to leave to go find that Pokémon Red had battled, the one that probably should have killed him. The idea of it sort of terrified him. Why was he sort of scared to face it anyways, he wondered. He'd only failed to defeat it because he'd been alone, and on this occasion he'd practically amassed a small army to take it on.

Maybe that was what scared him, that he wouldn't be the only to be hurt if even a great number of people wasn't enough to capture it. A single Swift attack from that thing had been enough to take out his Charizard in one hit and make him seriously think he wasn't going to survive to see the end of that battle. If that thing decided to deploy one of its actually powerful attacks, what then? Could it end one of them as easily as that Celestial Whatever had killed Link? He would imagine so, but the thought really didn't scare him as much as one thing did.

That thing was the fact that his little sister was among their number. She had her Pokémon, sure, but little of the combat experience any of the rest of them had. Even Green knew more about dodging attacks than she did, and the only "battles" he'd ever fought in were exclusively Pokémon ones. As the others scurried about, gathering whatever supplies they thought they might need for the journey ahead, Red tried not to make it blatantly clear he was looking at Leaf, trying to picture what his life would be if she died. Probably somewhere far away, he supposed. Without her, he'd have no reason to keep acting like he actually cared about taking down a government he didn't see the corruption in, as much as Green pointed it out.

"Red! Hey, Red!", Pit called, and Red suddenly realized he'd gotten wrapped up in his own thoughts long enough for the others to be ready to leave. "You okay?"

Carefully, he had to put on his mask once more and make sure none of his real face showed. He gave a smug grin. " 'Course I'm okay, I was just thinking how we were gonna get there, that's all."

Pit looked confused by this statement for a moment before laughing. "Shulk figured that out, remember? I mean, you helped find the coordinates of that place you found that Pokémon thing in."

He felt stupid for forgetting his exasperation with the seer's obsessive exactness of the geographical location of the cave, going so far to request minutes of the point, something he'd never heard of before then. And then he wondered how he could have possible forgot how odd it was that someone who had lived in space their entire lives would know more about latitude and longitude than he did. Keeping his smile steady, he dryly replied "Right, forgot about that. Can we go now?"

Another vacant stare that very clearly read "it is clearly obvious your head is elsewhere" came from the angel. "Er, yeah. That's what we were doing."

"Great, let's go, then," Red declared. He made to pick up the shopping bags May and Ethan had left, but found someone had already grabbed them.

Once outside, he found Shulk was once again wearing the white of the Sky core. Honestly, Red thought it looked terrible on him and the white only made the pale skin and sleepless, dark-circled eyes more apparent. Really, he was fairly certain no one wanted him to be the Knight of Sky, but that they also agreed that they needed one and he was the best choice. Some of the tiredness in his eyes seemed to lessen as he met eyes with Pit, however, and oddly, Red found a spike of jealously being driven into his heart. To have friends who you could share everything with, who could make you feel better just with their presence, how nice that must be.

With a bright glow, Shulk began muttering something under his breath. Red took a few steps closer to hear his words clearly: "Thirty six degrees four minutes north, one forty degrees twelve minutes east, Kanto region, universal coordinates forty two-dash-one zero eight-dash-cross four," or something like that, finishing with a cry of "Flight!", which spurred a glow that was an off-colored gold to envelop them.

It faded and a gaping cave mouth stood before them. Dark and enticing, a place that screamed "danger. Really, it was no wonder why Red had found himself excited to enter it the first time, and it was no wonder that any fear he might have had was fading away with the throbbing coursing of adrenaline. Yes, that was exactly what he felt, exactly what he felt, repeating it over and over again to force that mindset to stick in his brain. Fear had no place if everyone was counting on you, the universe had taught him this when the Blue he'd known had been killed.

"Are we all ready to go in?", Lucina questioned, and received no objection. They followed Time and Sky into the cave without any show of fear, which was most certainly not something they should have had, because there was nothing to fear at all. Repeat that a dozen times as they stepped into the crystal-lined cavern, but it never became true. Banishing the thoughts of that Pokémon ripping through his little sister or his old friend or another of his new companions from his mind was impossible.

Every few feet, he'd hear a loud cry of "Shafts!", causing beams of light to briefly glow around Palutena. A few more, and Ike would give a call of "Flare!", and their path would be illuminated by blue flame. Light was good, light was safe, everyone present is safe; he told it to himself but couldn't make it feel true. All the silence of water dripping from stalactites and their footsteps echoing through the empty curved walls made him feel alone in his mind, a dangerous place to be, so he decided to rid the world of that silence.

"Hey, you know, I have a theory on how my core works," Red touted.

Odd looks came at him. "Really?," questioned Shulk. "How so?"

"Whenever I try to hold a form, it normally seems to start glitching up. For example," he looked around the cave for something sharp, something other that could easily draw blood. There were no jagged loose stones in sight, oddly enough. He could have easily sent out Ivysaur for a Razor Leaf, but that might have been overkill. Instead, he turned to Roy, who was walking near him. "Hey, Roy, mind using your sword thing to draw blood? Don't care who from, just not Lucina or Leaf."

Five seconds later, and Ike let out a small cry of pain. In the faint light from Palutena's castings, he could see a small incision on his sleeve from which blood was oozing. "Thanks," Red muttered as he smeared a bit of it on his finger, and then on his core.

It was always odd to become someone else. Everything felt tense and unfitting, like his body was trying to reject its new form. Ike's appearance wasn't going to be able to last long. Looking at himself in the faint bursts of light, he could tell his skin tone was even then starting to revert to normal, and his hair was already a blue-black. People were staring at him, but considering they were looking for flaws in a literal mask rather than a figurative one this time, it didn't make him feel any more on edge than he already was.

"See?", he pulled his core away from his neck for a moment to stop the gradual shift back from prolonging itself. "Fades really quickly. But when I copied Leaf earlier, I could do it almost perfectly and it didn't feel like it was fading. So, my thought is that I can only hold the form of people I'm related to by…" He paused to allow the humor and irony of what he was about to say sink in. "Blood!"

The only laugh given was a strained one from Palutena, but it was so fleeting it barely counted. "Oh, come on!", he complained with a fake grin. "That was funny, it's okay to laugh. Anyways, Ice Burn, would you mind maybe cutting Lucy open so I can test this out?"

Something that sounded suspiciously like "Only your grandfather is allowed to call me that…" came from the Knight of Time, who Red still couldn't exactly wrap his head around his relation to. The same girl then let out a louder "Hey!" once a blade tore her sleeve.

"Come on, at least I didn't impale you," Roy teased, and Red was certain they were referencing some event he hadn't seen, given the chuckles from several of their number that followed. "Let's call that payback for that incident, okay?"

Ike came into the conversation with "Hey, I didn't impale you, and I'm still bleeding!".

He was countered with "Your fire burned too," by Roy. "Besides, if you're really bleeding that badly, you can just wrap your cape around your arm to stop it. See, finally has a point."

Loud laughter echoed off the cave walls, which Red couldn't help but join in. Really, he'd forgotten all about what he'd originally intended to do, and didn't realize he'd forgotten to test Lucina's blood until later. Everyone else seemed to forget as well, as the next question asked was irrelevant to it.

"So anyways, what exactly are we up against?", questioned Pit.

And worries came rushing back into Red's mind. For once, he was grateful for Green's mouth, as his friend spoke before he had to. "Silph has been working on an experiment to clone Mew, a legendary creature said to be the ancestor of all Pokémon. However, from Red's description, compared with those found in myths, the Pokémon we're going after is not a perfect copy of it."

"Does it have a name?", questioned the angel, who was met with a negative answer. After a gap of echoing silence that could only be deep thought, he provided a solution to this supposed problem. "Okay, if it's a second Mew, let's call it Mewtwo!", he suggested.

Dark Pit gave a flat "No. That's stupid. You're stupid. Shut up," but it seemed to come out more like something said when in the middle of deep thought.

"What is Mew's scientific name?", Zelda questioned. "If we know the Genus name, we can work from there."

"I like Mewtwo," Leaf blurted out. "It sounds sort of cute!"

Red found himself smiling. Even in the midst of danger, she remained upbeat and innocent. He could never bear to break that away from her, even if it cost him his freedom and personal happiness. "Mewtwo it is, then," Green decided.

Very suddenly, the cave ahead looked to open up a bit, and Red realized with a lurch how far they'd come. This was where he'd met Mewtwo, where he'd barely escaped with his life. He felt his steps slowing in fear, until he was only slightly behind Leaf, and for some reason Roy, who must have hung back after slicing thought his friends. Leaf, he couldn't let her die out there, but he knew she was too stubborn to listen to him.

A deep breath, and he ran forward a few steps. "Charizard!", he called, and his great dragon was released from its Poké Ball. "Use Rock Smash on the cave ceiling!"

Though his Pokémon looked oddly at him for a brief moment , Charizard complied, and with one throw a stream of rocks began to separate him from his sister and the Knight of Ice, quickly blocking them both from view. On both sides, he was desperately questioned why the Giratina had he done that, but he wouldn't answer beyond "I can't let my sister fight." Vaguely, he was given complaints on how that could collapse the entire cave, or how it could have easily killed all of them, but honestly, he was beyond caring about how reckless that had been. It was a desperate act from a desperate man, and it was the best he could do with the impending lavender threat that was slowly approaching them, charging a flurry of stars between its palms.

* * *

_**AN- Red is an idiot. Pit named Mewtwo because it made sense in my twisted little brain. Next chapter will be shippy, sort of. The coordinates Shulk listed off were for the real-life geographical equivalent to Cerulean City. The other numbers were mostly random, though I did consider putting Lord Death's phone number from Soul Eater in there instead, but decided there were enough reference jokes in here. I am sorry, but I am fairly certain Red quoted Sokka at one point because I just finished Avatar and I am rambling now sorry.**_

_**So, chapterly question: who of the characters do you dislike the most? I sort of hate Red right now, but mostly because he is stupid and probably making things worse and also writing for him is hard and not that fun.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	63. Dragonstone

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Forty Nine- Dragonstone_

Roy stopped trying to tell Red how reckless and stupid it was to cause a collapse in a cave after a few minutes. Instead, he focused his efforts on turning the stone that separated himself and Leaf from the rest of them to dust.

"Leaf, stand back," he requested of the girl. "I don't want to hurt-"

He was cut off by a strangled, frustrated cry. Leaf was pretty clearly trying to knock the stones out by hand, something which was very blatantly not working. "Red, you idiot," she muttered under her breath. "I'm not helpless, you know! Do you need me to prove it?"

Muffled echoes of attacks from beyond the rocks answered her. "Well, then, Lucario," she tossed one of her Poké Balls out, a dark figure emerging from it. The darkness made its features impossible to distinguish, but by stature alone, it was most certainly more threatening than the others Leaf had used. "Break the rocks, use Force Palm!"

Nothing happened for a moment, and then her creature gave a small grunt. Vaguely, Roy thought he could see it shake its head. "What do you mean no?", Leaf questioned in outrage. "You are my Pokémon, and you will listen to me!"

The rocks trembled slightly as her Lucario weakly stuck them. The ceiling of the cave seemed to tremble as well, and Roy was at once stricken with just how intelligent this creature must have been. Its trainer didn't seem to recognize its message, however, as she continued to cry out angrily: "Seriously, that's it? What have I done to deserve this? I provide you food, shelter, and kindness, and yet when I really need you, you won't help me? You, mister, are going back in your Poké Ball to think about what you've-"

"He's trying to tell you that moving those rocks could cause the ceiling to cave in," he interrupted with a sigh. "Your brother was either extremely clever or extremely lucky with the placement of that attack, considering it was at such a point where it would not alone cause any structural damage, but any further agitating would. We need to reconsider our options. Is there another way in?"

Suddenly and violently, Leaf let out a string of what must have been extremely bizarre curses before dropping to her knees. "How should I know," she muttered, tears of frustration ringing in her words. "It's not like I've ever been here before." She gave a small sniffle. "I'm really starting to regret letting Green have that TM for Psychic. If I would have taught it to Jigglypuff, she probably could have lifted those rocks up without killing us."

Those words made no sense to him, but the desperation and pain in them got their meaning across just fine. Betrayal was practically flying off her in waves, as was pain and despair. If Roy wanted to find a way to join the battle happening on the other side of the fallen stones, he would probably need to get her to calm down first. Almost humorously, an argument he'd once had with Lillina came to mind. She'd insisted he had no idea how to deal with emotions, and he'd better learn to. He supposed now was as good a time as any to do so.

Taking a deep breath, he placed a hand on Leaf's shoulder. "Look, I know you want to be in there fighting, but I'm sure Red only wanted to keep you safe."

She looked up at him for a brief moment before turning her focus back to the floor. "That's the problem," she almost spat. "I would expect Green to do something like that, but Red's always told me he thought I was 'an asset to our team'! He always told me he believed in me, so why should he stop now!"

Her emotions were burning brightly. Even without seeing her face, he knew it was a tearful scowl. Carefully, he took a breath and pondered what exactly he could say to not provoke her further. "I'm sure that's not what he thinks," he tried to assure her, but a small noise between a groan and a growl told him that was the wrong thing to say.

"Of course it is!", she shouted, and her voice bounced in the small space a thousand times until it faded. "I can never do anything right. Every time I try to help with one of their plans, something goes wrong. Whenever I'm there, we always end up falling off of a building, or getting ambushed by some guards, or end up face-first in a Vileplume's Stun Spore, but whenever it's just those two, I always hear about how well it went. They're just so much better at everything than me…"

Roy snickered. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe they just leave out the part where they get attacked by the Pikablooms?", he suggested.

A loud laugh pierced the damp air. "A 'Pikabloom'?", she repeated. "What in Moltres's name is a Pikabloom?"

Crimson burned at his cheeks, and he let out a sigh. "Sorry. Like I told you, they don't really have Pokémon where I come from."

"But they do have magic!", Leaf exclaimed, turning towards him. Even in the darkness, he could tell her eyes were shining with an idea. "Can't you just use a magic spell to get us out of here?"

She seemed so happy about the idea that he really hated having to burst her bubble, and frankly, felt embarrassed to tell her it wouldn't work. "Yeah, but I'm not really good at it," he admitted, and her face fell instantly. "And even if I could, I don't have a Warp staff with me."

"Oh…", she muttered, clearly crestfallen, but her face lit up once more. "But can't you use your Ice magic like you did to save me?"

"I don't really think it would work, and even if it did, it wouldn't be any better than hitting them like you wanted your Pokémon to do."

Another disappointed look down. "Isn't there anything else we can do?", she asked. "You saved me before, can't you do it now?"

"I'm sorry," Roy muttered. "I think I'm the least helpful person you could have been trapped with. Lucina could have stopped time to stop the rocks from falling on us, or Marth could have just warped you back in there, or Ike could have blasted through them with fire and you could have used one of your Pokémon to cool off the molten rock before it fell- never mind, that one's really stupid. Forget I said it."

For a moment, he thought she sounded horribly disappointed as she let out a quiet "That's not true, there are lots of things you can do, right?" He was about to tell her that she didn't need to have such unfounded faith in him, but then it registered the bit of light he could register was both a faint blue and coming from his pocket. Pulling out his Dragonstone, he was reminded of another option that was probably just as terrible as any other.

"Well, I guess there's this," he started. "I could just use this to turn into a dragon and blast through this, but I don't think that would stop the cave from collapsing, and considering I've never used it, I don't really know how to control it."

Her wide-eyes stare was amplified by the now brighter cyan glow. "I thought you said you weren't good at magic," she almost whispered.

"I'm not, but-"

"Then how can you turn into a dragon?", she questioned loudly and excitedly. "That's like, the coolest spell I've ever heard of! It must be a really complicated one, right?"

Lovely, he was going to have to explain his "curse" to her. That was about the last thing he wanted to do at that particular moment, but her entranced stare left him with no other choice. "It's not a spell," she stated. "It's a magical stone that allows me to unlock another form."

"How cool! So it's like how if I gave Jigglypuff a Moon Stone she'd turn into a Wigglytuff?" He couldn't provide an answer, so with an embarrassed giggle, she added "Oh, right. You don't know stuff like that. Um, is it permanent, I mean?"

"No, but it's not something everyone can do." He swallowed the pain that came with the words that came next. "It's something only Manaketes can do. Um, they're people that can turn into dragons and live for thousands of years. My mother was half-Manakete, so that makes me a fourth."

In the back of his mind, he was praying she'd ignore a certain part of that sentence, but that wasn't at all the case. "So that mean's you'll live for thousands of years?", she questioned. He gave a shaky nod in reply. "That's… kind of scary, but it's cool too!", she exclaimed. He sighed. Leaf really was an eternal optimist, wasn't she. "I mean," she went on, "you'll have all that time to help people and try new things! If I lived that long, I'd for sure try every food on the planet, and try to catch all the Pokémon, and meet as many people as I could!"

A hilltop conversation with a girl who looked just like the one sitting before him came to mind. "Come to think of it, you very well might," he told.

Leaf's face contorted with confusion. "Wait, what d'ya mean?"

"Your father's mother was half Manakete. Red told us about that, so that would make you an eighth. I'm not really sure if that means you'd live quite that long, or even if it would affect you at all, but I think it might." The odd expression on her face made him feel rather like a doctor delivering news of a terminal disease.

After a moment of awe-stricken silence, Leaf let out a quiet "Red didn't tell me that part." She then assumed an odd smile. "But that's awesome!", she exclaimed. "I mean, it's kinda scary, but that means we can live together forever, right?"

What an odd response, he thought. Was she just trying to make him feel better with this? If so, that seemed like such a very not natural way to go about things that it felt unnerving. "I guess that means I'll have one friend who won't die on me," he muttered with an odd, forced laugh.

"That's not what I mean," she clarified, grabbing his hand. Roy's heart began to pound in his throat as he realized what came next. "You know, ever since you saved me, I've really-"

He didn't want her to have to go through all of it before knowing it was useless, so he forced himself to spit out his own truth. "I'm sorry, and you're really nice and all, but I don't really like you in that way. Besides, you're my best friend's grand niece, and we don't even know if the Manakete gene passed on to you." To try and distract the both of them from the tears of pain forming in her eyes, he shoved the Dragonstone into her hand. "Here," he explained. "We can test if this works for you later. But now, we really need to find a way out of here."

Violently, she turned away from him and threw out her Lucario once more, far too quickly for him to try to stop her. "Blast through it with Aura Sphere," she ordered. When it hesitated, she added "I don't care if it makes the ceiling cave in, just do it!"

The Lucario closed its eyes for a brief moment before sending a bright blue ball of energy into the stones. A portion of them blasted away, but it didn't seem to cause any more damage than Red already had. He didn't even stop to consider why that was before squeezing through the new gap and rushing into the chamber ahead.

The battle scene he saw in front of him was hardly the one he was expecting. A lavender Pokémon that looked much like a rather large and deformed bipedal cat stood in the midst of it; surely the original target, but it was no longer the only. In fact, it had been all but forgotten in favor of the other enemy that had appeared.

In the midst of the crossfire, the Celestial Guardian Cobalt turned towards the two of them and gave a twisted chuckle. "Leaf, it's so nice of you to join us!"

Leaf just stood there for a moment, eyes wide with shock.

* * *

_**AN- Please don't hate me for making you guys miss out on a cool battle. I thought resolving part of Roy's storyline was a bit more important. Also, now all Pokémon in Smash have been seen or at least mentioned to be present, so, er, victory?**_

_**So, chapterly question, and this is an important one: whose viewpoint should the next chapter be from- Red's, or Leaf's. I'm sort of leaning towards Leaf, but I'd intended Red, even if on second thought dealing with Leaf's emotions might be more interesting. Just tell me what you think, dear readers. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	64. Blue

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty- Blue_

The person who stood before Leaf was unmistakably Blue. Even with a mask bearing a contorted smile covering her face, the voice, the shade of hair, the posture, even the dress and white gloves could be no one else's but her. Another thing about the person before her that was just as unmistakable was that she wasn't an ally. No, an ally wouldn't draw all fire away from what had to be Mewtwo and towards herself.

"Blue?", Leaf questioned, and she was almost certain she was dreaming. Real life never involved dragon spells and dead people attacking friends. "What- what are you doing here?"

With a haughty sigh, the woman corrected her flippantly. "It's Cobalt. Please, would you all run that through your heads, you've made that mistake too often."

"She's not Blue!", Green cried out. "She's trying to trick us!"

What an awful thing to do, Leaf thought. Cruel and manipulative, no wonder she was their enemy! A small part of her mind wondered why she would correct her on her identity if she was trying to trick them, but she brushed that away as part of whatever plan she was enacting.

"Lucario!", she called to her Pokémon, who had taken his place beside her without her noticing. "Attack her! Use Aura Sphere!"

Lucario did nothing. It simply stared at his target for a moment before shaking its head and closing its eyes. Somehow, this didn't surprise Cobalt at all. "Your little creature isn't so loyal to you after all, is it?", she taunted. "Wigglytuff, use Psychic."

A Wigglytuff that looked extremely familiar turned towards her, eyes glowing a bright cyan. Oddly, it faltered somewhat as its eyes fell upon her's, but it gave a sharp shake and quickly, Leaf found she could no longer move her body. The vague glow around her let her know that it was the Wigglytuff's fault that involuntarily, she was slowly collapsing to her knees.

"Yes, good, now just keep her there for the finishing blow," the voice she was certain belonged to Blue ordered. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see "Cobalt" pulling an odd bow back and a dozen people scrambling to knock the Wigglytuff out and block her from their foe's aim.

Something she couldn't quite see happened, heralded by a loud cry of pain, and Leaf found herself able to move once more. Shakily, she got to her feet and called out once more "Lucario, Aura Sphere!", but once again, nothing glowed brightly as it shot towards her enemy. Rather, he turned between his trainer and target repeatedly without opening his eyes. He must have recognized Blue's aura and not wanted to attack her. She must have been able to copy their dead friend's aura as well as her appearance. Vaguely, she wondered how Lucario would recognize Blue's aura if she'd died long before she'd gotten him, but she brushed that doubt aside.

"Lucario," Cobalt ordered, and the Pokémon opened his eyes as he turned towards her. "Use Shadow Claw on Mewtwo."

Without question, Leaf's Pokémon dashed through the multiple ribbons of blue fire and gold arrows and cut at the deformed mutant with talons of dark energy. A crippling sense of betrayal settled over Leaf. "Stop that!", she demanded in frustration as he prepared to do it once more. "I'm your trainer, not her!"

Eyes widening in confusion, Lucario stopped in its tracks and proceeded to look between the two giving him orders. Whatever decision he might have made was cut short by a blade of wind hitting him squarely in the chest, followed by a glittering flame to his side that gave Mewtwo an opening to strike him with some sort of Psychic attack. Almost without thinking, Leaf returned her unconscious Pokémon to his Poké Ball. A quick "Sorry!" and a nonchalant "My bad," came from two of her allies just as involuntarily.

Leaf meant to assure them that it wasn't their fault, but was distracted by a bright flash of light before the words could escape her lips. Mewtwo had vanished, enveloped by a Poké Ball of some sort, which after a moment, gave a telltale click that was unmistakable in its meaning to any who had used one before. Calmly, despite the ongoing shots at her, Cobalt took a few strides to pick the Poké Ball up.

Vaguely, she could hear Cobalt chuckling to herself. "Lovely, this will do wonders," she muttered. Quickly, she threw back out her new Pokémon with a strangled, girlish giggle.

Somehow, Mewtwo looked even more terrifying under her control. It looked less feral and more like something that deliberately and specifically wanted to kill them. However, be it by coincidence or sending its new trainer's intentions, its violet eyes were firmly fixed upon Leaf alone. Over the pounding of her heart, she could hear Cobalt beginning to command the mutant to hold her in place once more. Why was she targeting her in particular, Leaf wondered. It wasn't as if she was particularly dangerous, but perhaps that was the point.

"Leaf!", someone called out to her, notes of desperation in his voice. "If she can command your Pokémon, maybe you can command hers!"

As the command of "Psychic!" escaped Cobalt's lips, Leaf cried out "Attack her!". Mewtwo failed to react for a moment before looking between the two and seemingly deciding to send a Shadow Ball at the masked woman. For a brief moment, Leaf felt the exhilaration of victory, but it was interrupted by Mewtwo turning towards her and trapping her body in a binding of cyan light, falling on her hands and knees without making a conscious choice to.

Slowly, Cobalt got to her feet and let out a small laugh. "Now, keep the others distracted while I deal with her," she commanded, and her Pokémon dutifully turned away from her, towards someone she couldn't see.

"Leave my sister alone!", Red cried out. "What do you need her for, anyways?"

Deliberate and painfully slow steps echoed through the chamber until Leaf could practically feel their crashing. The only part of her body that hadn't been frozen by fear and the attack was her heart, which writhed and pounded wildly. All at once, a white mask fell to the ground and Cobalt placed her hand under Leaf's and flicked it upwards so their eyes met.

Breathlessness pierced the air as Leaf came face to face with a woman she hadn't seen in years. She looked no different, and yet she looked so very unlike how her mind had been picturing her all those years. The vague glow of the stone still clutched in her hand showed a woman with not he blue eyes Leaf was so sure she had, but eyes a deeper brown than coffee. In all honesty, she thought with something close to a laugh, Blue looked rather like she might in a few years.

Finally, silence was ended by the voice of Roy, who from the sound of it must have been still rather near her. Hearing it again after what it had said when her own had spoken from her heart burned despite the more pressing matters at hand. "...Leaf?"

She wanted to both ask him what he wanted to ask her and tell him she wasn't really able to, but what followed made it clear he wasn't exactly talking to her. "No, that's Blue," Green corrected. "Blue's the woman who got killed by Silph, we told you about her."

"No, he's right," corrected the woman staring at her so intensely. "Well, I suppose you're both right, but come to think of it, Leaf was my name once. I think I told you the other one once, though. Was it when I was trying to get you all off our tail so we wouldn't meet before we were supposed to? Honestly, I barely remember."

It was as if a Supersonic attack had hit her square in the head. The world had no rhyme or reason, nor did it have an up or down. Really, if Mewtwo wasn't locking her in place, she would have most likely fallen to the ground and refused to get up until the profound dizziness wore off. More than anything, she wanted to move her mouth, to question why they had the same name, but the more she was forced to look at the woman, the more she was certain they shared more than a name.

"...Pardon?", questioned a high voice that she only vaguely recognized as belonging to one of their allies. "You mean to say you two are the same person at different points in time? But how can you stand to be near her without the paradoxes ripping you apart?"

Finally, her own burning gaze was torn away from her. "You are smart, I'll give you that, but you happen to be fundamentally wrong in your view of how this world works," she explained with a certainty Leaf couldn't dream of possessing. "You seem to think the world shuns paradox, but in fact, it is built upon it. See, everything that happens is inevitable because it has already happened. That is the paradox, that is the certainty. For instance, I could come after Claus only because the temporal energy caused by you all teleporting to him led me to him. Likewise, you were only looking for him because I had killed him. This is how all Celestial Guardians are born: from paradox. Grima, he doomed himself the moment he gained power because that was the end he knew he would meet. Circe was born because we knew she would be. Mr. L was born for the same reason. And today, I shall be born once more because I always have been and always will be."

Once more, the other her pulled back an arrow of that bow of swirling darkness she held, and it seemed no one was bold enough to challenge her. This her that called herself Cobalt, this her that had once called herself Blue, this heartless person, Leaf had no desire to become her. She attacked and deceived the people Leaf loved, and that wasn't the kind of future she wanted.

"Leaf, I need to tell you something!", Red called out to her, and despite her imminent doom, she felt her heart swell with hope. Forget what the universe said, Red would always fight against it. With her big brother on her side, there was no way that could be her future. No words of comfort or defiant reassurance met her. Instead, he might have well hit her with an arrow through the heart himself. "I really hate playing the hero. I don't want to save anything particularly, I've always thought Green was full of it, and frankly, I would have said so ages ago if I wasn't afraid to hurt you." A sob came from him, a sound she couldn't ever remember hearing. "Just thought I should tell you the truth before you're gone."

Yes, that was her fate. She would disappear into this lying person that even her brother hated. Even then, she wouldn't even be able to die to stop it if what Roy told her was true. The person who was about to end "her" life, she didn't want her future.

"I don't want this!" She tried to scream those words, but Mewtwo continued to keep her in place.

"I don't want this!" Cobalt's arrow would be released any second now, but she couldn't even bring herself to think it was real.

"I don't want this!" The stone in her hand was so cold, and she was still holding it somehow.

"I don't want this!" That stone, she had no idea how to use it, but it was her only hope. Channelling all her cries into it, a bright glow enveloped her, and she couldn't even think over it. Her body felt simultaneously broken and freed, but all she really cared was that she could move it. She was towering above the other her now, who was gaping at her in terror. Letting out a sharp cry, she felt a mass of ice form somewhere inside of her and break the bow the other her was holding into a thousand metallic glowing splinters.

Wide-eyed terror filled the other her, but she managed a sincere smile. "Thank you," she muttered, in a voice that could almost have belonged to her. For a brief moment, seeing herself there didn't seem so odd or frightening. The great burst of light and terrible scream that came as the paradoxes she had held such faith in tore the other her apart made her feel sick, even if something about it made her feel like the world was right-side up again.

As the last light of her other self faded into nothing, Leaf's body managed to reconstruct itself and she half forgot what she had been so afraid of. Whatever it had been, she had been exhausted by it, and black danced in front of her vision as the ground smashed into her.

* * *

_**AN- All that talk of paradox exhausts me, but frankly, I don't get it either. Blue/Leaf/Cobalt will get a Gaiden, but it might not be for a while. **_

_**Chapterly question: now that we know changing time is possible but extremely dangerous, what do you think the AKs will do about it?**_

_**Thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik**_


	65. Fixation

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty One- Fixation_

After a moment of stunned silence for whatever it was had just happened, Palutena was the first to voice a question Red was almost positive was in every last one of their minds, his included. "What just happened?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure my little sister just turned into a dragon and erased her future self who also happened to have been one of our old friends from existence." Red let out a laugh for the absurdity of what he'd just said. "And that is not a sentence I thought I'd be saying today. Or ever."

There was only a scattered chuckle or two at this among their number. His diversion tactics were already failing him, and Green's burning glare told him so. Quick, he thought, try to distract him, but he hadn't even gotten to open his mouth before his friend began to walk up to him with a look of incredible disdain.

Shockingly, the voice that came from Green was filled with exasperation rather than spite. "You really thought that telling Leaf hurtful lies was the best way to snap her out of that?", he questioned in annoyance.

For just a brief moment, Red was relieved and prepared to just say "Yeah, I was just trying to get her angry so she'd maybe break out of it," but something stopped him. His conscious seemed to have taken the voice of Lucas as it told him that he shouldn't keep lying if lying was what had nearly killed his sister.

"I wasn't lying," Red replied with a forced sneer. "In fact, I think that's the most truths I've said all in a row in years."

Even though Green was glaring daggers through his skin, Red couldn't help but feel incredible relief. It was nice to tell the truth for once, at least, but he knew from the shattered green glass of his friend's eyes that this truth was unforgivable. "You thought everything I said was stupid?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," admitted Red, almost savoring the broken look of betrayal his once partner bore. "Sorry to break it to you, but we've been at this for like, what, five years now? And have we found any proof or made any progress?"

Green opened his mouth as to say something, but instead leaned down to the collapsed figure of Leaf and attempted to pull her up. A moment later, and he had managed to find a way to carry her on his back, and began walking towards the cave's mouth with her in tow. "Red, I'll see you-", Green suddenly cut himself off and looked back at him with a look of pure hatred. "Actually, don't bother. I'll tell Leaf you went off with your space friends and won't be coming back."

And just like that, Green had exiled him from his own life. It was over. He wouldn't have to deal with being that kid's champion of justice any longer. He could do whatever he might want to. Really, he couldn't quite decide if he should cry or punch the air victoriously. Instead, he turned away from the rapidly-leaving former friend of his and quickly realized Mewtwo was still among their number, standing there without making a single move.

"What, not going to attack us now?", Red questioned. Mewtwo replied by picking up the Ultra Ball his former future sister had used to catch it- or had his present sister caught it? Whatever had happened had scrambled his brain on the event. Violently, the mutant threw the device away from it, and for a moment, Red thought it meant to hit him with it.

Instead, it landed at his feet, and faintly, he heard a voice shouting into his mind like Lucas sometimes had: "You're the only one here even close to having the knowledge to wield me. I doubt the one who captured me before shall return, so you will have to do."

He picked Mewtwo's Poke Ball up and held it out. "Alright, then. Mewtwo, return," he commanded, and a beam of light enveloped the abomination. With a chuckle, he turned to the others, who seemed as dazed as he felt. "I guess this mission wasn't a total waste, then. I mean, we at least got what we came for."

No one laughed, but again, he hadn't really expected them to. "He is joking, isn't he?", Zelda questioned as if he couldn't comprehend her words. "We took out one of the Celestial Guardians, how could we possibly call such an escapade a waste?"

"Of course he's joking, he's always joking," Ike replied in a voice all too aware of their less-than-friendly status. "But seriously, you think taking out a Celestial Guardian is the only important thing that happened?"

Red was about to add that they'd also learned that his sister was also a dragon and also used to become a terrible person in the future, but the annoyed huff Zelda gave told him that wasn't exactly what they were talking about. "I thought we closed that discussion. Marth chose to accept his fate, and-"

"But time can be changed!", Ike exclaimed, and in the odd light of crystals and Palutena's occasional spell, he could barely see the fact that his eyes were shining with as much intensity as Green's had hatred. "That means we can save him. Heck, we could go back and save Lucas and Mario too if we wanted, right?"

Pit let out an odd noise that sounded somewhere between a laugh and a gasp. "And we could save Meta Knight and Viridi too! We have time travel, so now that we know things can change, shouldn't we change them?"

It looked as if the most of the others present either found them to be incredibly stupid or incredibly pitiable. Red, however, belonged to neither of those camps. "I think it's a great idea," he voiced. "But just one question: would that end up getting the people we're trying to save ripped apart like that, or us?"

"That's the thing," Shulk explained slowly and carefully, like he was talking to a small child or Pokemon. "We have no way of knowing that. Trust me, if I could, I would agree to that in a second, but we have no way of knowing if we'd actually make things better or just make them worse. For example, do you remember what happened when you met that Celestial Guardian that was erased from the universe?"

He strained his mind. It was when they were fighting the Masked Man, right? Vaguely, he recalled seeing her there and being filled with anger and betrayal, but more sharply, he remembered meeting an odd creature who called herself "Midna" there, who turned Lucas's brother into a puppet corpse and promptly left, only to rejoin them to kill Link moments later. "I remember it, but I remember it two different ways," he muttered. "But if we erased Cobalt, doesn't that mean we should have erased what she did? Doesn't that mean Lucas's brother shouldn't have died?"

"The Celestial Guardians have surely planned for that," Zelda continued in her same, dry tone. "Additionally, several of us were present at all events it might be possible to undo, and the paradox there might end up destroying our past selves as well, effectively erasing us from existence. Given the role we have to play in saving it, that seems too great a risk to take, even for the sake of additional emotional security for some of our more fragile members."

Slowly, Ike began to stalk towards the icy Knight of Magic, glowering at her like a Spearow might before it closes in on its prey. "'Additional emotional security'?", he repeated in a livid tone. "Is that all lives are to you?" He gave a mocking, humorless laugh. "Why am I not surprised? Oh right, because instead of mourning your 'best friend' when he died, you just turned him into a freaky robot."

Out of the corner of his eye, Red caught Metal flinch slightly. Was he offended? It was sort of hard to tell, but that's how it read to him.

Zelda was clearly as furious as she possibly could be, as her eyes had narrowed slightly and her voice rose in pitch as she replied with "I was simply putting the safety of this world above all else! Is that not the correct thing to do?", displaying what was honestly the most emotion Red had ever seen her show.

"Maybe, but it's not the human thing to do!", Ike shouted back. "You approach everything like a calculator, just trying to get the 'logical' result out of it without caring what anyone else thinks about it. Do you ever think you might be hurting people more than you're 'helping the universe' with that?"

"I have no desire to please people. It isn't as if they do much for me, so why should I do any more than I am inclined to for them?", Zelda loudly questioned, sounding fairly emotional for once. "Do you think I didn't mourn Link? Of course I did, but I put it aside for the sake of everyone else because it was the right thing to do! You claimed once to love Marth, yet you seem to be willing to allow the universe to pull itself apart for your own selfish means that he himself refuted. I admit, I am perhaps not as familiar with 'love' as most are, but I don't think any sort of 'love' could possibly involve being willing to risk erasing the object of your affections from existence. That is something called fixation; being single-mindedly obsessed with one single thing, and it is never a positive thing like this 'love' you claim to have supposedly is."

Something, maybe Zelda's sudden display of emotion, maybe her very precise criticism, or maybe some combination of the two rendered Ike completely speechless. More than anything, he looked like she'd slapped him rather than yelled at him. "That-that's not…" He tried to force out a counter-argument, but seemed wholly unable to.

Red almost felt sorry for the Knight of Fire in that instant. He was near a mental breakdown, and whatever that might look like, it couldn't possibly turn out well for any of them. Quickly, he tried to think of a distraction, and what came to mind was what his sister had done to bring about this argument.

"Hey, Roy, do you think I could turn into a dragon?", Red questioned deliberately loudly.

Roy gave a few shocked blinks before answering. "Er, probably, but I wouldn't really be able to test it. I mean, that Dragonstone I gave to Leaf was the only one I had, and I don't know where to get any others except from Tiki, and she's back where we came from, and-"

"Then let's go there to get the Dragon-things!", Red quickly suggested. "Come on, you and me and Spitfire can go and then I can be a super awesome dragon!"

Despite how hilariously confused he looked, Roy nodded slowly in agreement. "Okay. Um, we'll need Lucina to even get back home, but-"

"Yeah, let's take her too! Quick, let's go now!"

He made to quickly grab the still dumbfounded Ike by the arm, and the remarkably confounded Roy by his cape, and Lucina followed them, looking rather dazed herself. "Um, I guess we'll meet you guys back at the Observatory, okay? Or, um, we'll just tell you to pick us up, I guess," she called back to the rest of the group, or in all likelihood, mostly just Shulk. "Warp home!", she quickly called out, and indigo light enveloped the four of them.

The world faded back to the mundane soon enough, to a fairly regular street in a perfectly regular looking town. Fairly clear air, rain pelting down that wasn't at all acidic, Red found himself tempted to laugh. It had been so long since he'd been able to enjoy something like that, and frankly, he was jealous of the other three for being able to live in that world all the time.

"Darn it, I left the umbrellas at Red's place," Lucina cursed under her breath. "Er, anyways, where does Tiki live again?"

Hastily, Roy broke out of Red's grasp and took the lead, turning almost automatically towards wherever his destination might be. He stopped once a house with a remarkably well-kept flower garden showed itself. Of course, Roy had been walking so quickly that Red had barely begun towards it by the time the red-haired boy was already talking to someone at the door.

A woman with the strangest shade of green hair Red had ever seen approached him before he'd even been able to begin up the path towards her door, holding a glowing stone like the one Leaf had used. "Hello, my name's Tiki- a full-blooded Manakete. I spoke to Mr. Pherae about his Manakete blood not long ago, and he told me your sister possesses the ability to transform, and you would like to attempt it as well?", she questioned.

Honestly, Red had half forgotten why he'd come there in the first place, but still nodded and said something along the lines of "Oh, right, yeah. Sure."

As many people seemed to have been doing lately, Tiki fixated her eyes on some empty gap in their ranks and frowned. "Is that other boy not with you today? The one who looked like Prince Marth, what was his name- Shulk Lowell?"

Lucina let out an odd little laugh. "I'd forgotten he'd introduced himself that way," she muttered under her breath. Then, to Tiki, she gave a grave shake of the head. "He's not. He's, er, dead, actually."

"He was Prince Marth, wasn't he?" was her reply. When Lucina confirmed this, she gave a small sigh. "Funny, I'd always hoped I'd see Mar-Mar again. I have no idea how it was possible, but considering he seemed to lose his mind in his last days, I thought it might have been possible there was something he hadn't quite told me."

That seemed to break Ike out of his stupor well enough. "'Lost his mind'?", he repeated. "What happened?"

Though Tiki opened her mouth as if to speak, she never got to. An arrow of some sort of electric attack ran straight through her side, and she collapsed to the ground where blood soon began to pool around her.

By instinct, the four of them drew their weapons and quickly looked around to identify the source. The boy holding the book marked with a lightning bolt who was walking towards the body of the Manakete woman who looked remarkably like Lucina seemed a likely candidate. The shock on Lucina's face as she seemed to be attempting to comprehend the situation was rather painful to look at, but so were the words she next spoke. "Morgan, I, I don't understand. What- what-?"

Red's past grandfather gave an unnerving smirk, but something of the dark aura sparking around him told him perhaps that wasn't quite who they were facing. "I don't understand this either. What did she mean when she said Marth is dead?"

* * *

**_AN- Look, Zelda has feelings! How amazing, right? Also, Tiki is dead now, but why would Morgan kill her? Think really, really hard about this one, and I think you'll find that I might have told you earlier. (Hint: it's probably Grima's fault.)_**

**_So, chapterly question: Zelda has emotions, and also an opinion on Ike's emotions and obsession with/being in love with Marth. Let's talk about that. Not really a question, but I would love to hear your thoughts on what she said._**

**_Thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik_**


	66. Lucina

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina _

_Chapter Fifty Two- Lucina_

The body collapsed on the pavement and the blood being washed away by the falling rain around it were her brother's fault. Such a simple, uncomplicated sentence, but one it was completely impossible for Lucina to wrap her head around. All she could really do was stare in disbelief as a madly grinning Morgan looked at each of the four stunned Knights in turn. "Must I repeat myself? Tell me, what happened to Marth?"

Lucina found herself unable to answer for quite some time; her head was too filled up with panic to even really register his words. Her precious little brother, the person she loved most in all the world, a sweet boy who'd never hurt a soul had just murdered someone in cold blood. The world had been falling to madness as of late, but this was far too much for even her to wrap her head around. "Tell me!", shrieked Morgan, and the sheer surrealness of the circumstances began to numb Lucina to the truths of the situation.

Slowly, shakily, she answered. "Morgan, I told you, he left to go home while we were away, and he'll probably die there pretty soon. Do you not remember me saying that before?" She prayed he would say something that would tell her the person she was looking at wasn't her brother, but the more she looked into his bloodshot brown eyes, the more she couldn't convince herself they belonged to anyone else.

Taking a few steps closer to them, Morgan opened the Thunder tome he was holding and extended a hand towards Roy. "Yes, Lucy, come to think of it, I recall that vaguely," he stated coolly, in a tone so unlike the one he normally bore. "Now, please go on about Marth. How will he die, and when?"

She was unsure whether answering or keeping quiet was the best solution, but Roy saved her from having to make that decision with an outraged cry. "Why did you kill Tiki? What- what's up with you? I've known you for ages, and I know you'd never-"

"We're not talking about that right now!", shouted Morgan, who took another step closer to the Knight of Ice. "We were talking about the prince that was among your numbers. Ike, surely you know something about this."

As Morgan turned towards him, Ike spat out "What are you, anyways?", causing Lucina's brother to bear a mocking look of deep pain.

"I'm Morgan, remember? Lucina's dearest brother, Red's ancestor, we've met before!"

Flatly, Ike responded with "No, no we haven't. I have never met you, and had I, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have met a homicidal lunatic," as he fiddled with the communicator bracelet on his wrist.

Casting a spiteful glance at the Knight of Fire, Lucina started to feel a disturbing bout of Déjà vu coming on. However, with it came an overwhelming sensation of relief. This Morgan definitely wasn't, at least not entirely her little brother. That still left the question of who exactly he was, but she felt as if it were on the tip of her tongue, or somewhere in his eyes, which while glaring were unmistakably his. "Morgan, er, have you been practicing your magic?", she inquired, hoping perhaps she could try to find some trace of her brother in there to wake up. "I mean, that was a good Thunder spell, way better than what happened when Lillina loaned you her Fire tome. Remember that, we almost burned down her house, and Lyn, we'd never seen her get so mad."

A slight smirk came to the lips of the killer who bore her brother's face. "Ah, yes. That was quite something. And thank you. I have been practicing, thanks for noticing. Now, would you perhaps mind elaborating on Mar-Mar's fate?"

"'Mar-Mar'?", repeated Roy. "Tiki called him that earlier. What- what are you getting at?"

The shade of her brother cast an annoyed look at her friend. "Just a nickname, that's all," he explained dismissively. "Does it really matter?"

Yes, Lucina was positive it did, as there was no way Morgan could have known that name. Therefore, it was all but impossible that was whom they were speaking with. It almost seemed like he was trying to tell them who he was, willing them to pt the pieces together, even if she couldn't quite find them all. Electric spell, murderous look, condescending tone, taking on someone else's appearance, she felt like she was stupid for not being able to put it together, but her mind couldn't quite get past the appearance of their enemy. "Who- what are you?", she questioned. "What have you done to my brother?"

"That's definitely Grima!", exclaimed a cracking voice that seemed to pierce the air from nowhere. The crackling made it impossible to tell, but it sounded very much like Shulk's, and in all likelihood, there was little chance it wasn't. "He called Marth that before, while you guys were out fighting Mr. L."

Inwardly, Lucina cursed her own stupidity. Of course it was Grima, who else would it have been? "Morgan" looked oddly pleased by that deduction. With a few steps forward, he made a sudden motion to grab Ike's arm, and quickly placed his mouth rather close to the communicator. "Very good, Star Seer. Now please, stay out of this. I fear this is none of your concern, my dear."

Someone let out a agonized cry, accompanied by a bright flash of light. For the briefest moment, Lucina's heart stopped, certain he had claimed another life in her little brother's body. A body didn't fall to the ground this time, but fractured scraps of metal, as well as Ike's sword did. His ragged breathing, along with the odd way Ike held his right arm, like he could barely move it, told her exactly what had transpired.

She knew she was shaking as she took a few steps closer to her friend, and the terrible, warped burns that attack had given him became apparent. A discolored and charred point near his wrist, and a similar point on his shoulder that had seared through his shirt showed where Grima's attack had entered and exited his body. Just looking at them was nauseating, but the clear struggle of how hard Ike was fighting to remain upright through the pain was doubly so. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she more wanted to destroy the one responsible or comfort the victim first.

Red, however, chose the former option, and lunged for the Celestial Guardian, bearing a angered glare. "I don't care who's body you're in right now, you're gonna pay for that!", he snarled, holding the Poké Ball he'd gotten from Leaf. "Mewtwo, make that Bidoof into a little smoldering pile!"

With a bright flash of light, the mutant they had fought appeared before them, but didn't seem to have any desire to follow Red's enraged command. "Come on!", huffed Red in clear irritation. "Look, I know I'm not your trainer, but please just destroy him!"

Mewtwo stayed precisely where it had appeared, only moving to cast an odd glance towards the Pokémon Trainer. Judging by the great amounts of laughter he let out, Grima found this hilarious. "Ever heard of the Grandfather Paradox, Blood Knight?", inquired the voice, but not the mind of Morgan. "Your weapon looks like it has."

A horrified look of realization flashed across Red's face, and he recalled his Pokémon. "I- you- look, if it wouldn't hurt my sister too, I would kill you!"

Grima looked between all four of them with a condescending smile. "How very sweet. Could it be that all of you care about the Star Shield's little brother more than you hate me?"

"Fight us with your actual body for once and maybe you'll find out!", taunted Roy, who was visibly biting his lip to keep himself from sending icy attacks his way.

The cold look of contempt in her brother's eyes was too much to take. "Please," Lucina begged. "Just leave Morgan alone. He- he's the only family I have, and if something happened to him-" No, not even now would she allow such a thought to form in her mind. "Just let him go!"

Some odd gleam came to her brother's eyes, like he'd just thought of something brilliant. Halfway, she expected him to start spouting out some completely insane idea of what they could do that day that she'd have to talk him out of in hear of him getting hurt, but hearing the callous voice coming out of him drove those delusions away. "Ah yes, your parents died rather young, didn't they?", inquired Grima. She refused to answer, scared of what he might be plotting. "Did you ever wonder why they met such early demises?"

"Someone broke into our house late at night and killed them," Lucina explained. "It wasn't your fault, if that's what you're getting at."

With a crazed grin, "Morgan" turned away, and muttered something under his breath that made a familiar violet portal form under his feet. As it enveloped him, he turned back towards her with a sneer. "Why could it not be both?", he inquired, and quickly vanished, leaving behind only the tome that had already hurt too many people.

There was very little Lucina could do but stare at the book that had been left on the ground as the thoughts of what exactly he had meant swirled around in her head. Before she could even find the words to begin to understand it, someone's hand had gripped her shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, but you know you can't go after him!", Roy warned. "Please, even if you manage to stop him, then what? If Leaf was any indication, you'll be ripped to pieces!"

Another bright flash of light, this one gold broke her concentration as Shulk emerged from it. For a moment, he looked around as if he were confused. She would have assumed it was for the fact that Grima wasn't there, but he then looked up at the dark clouds covering the sky. "That's 'rain', isn't it?", he asked, saying the word as if it were foreign to him.

Despite the pain he was still clearly in, Ike gave a small laugh. "Er, yeah. I guess you wouldn't really have that where you live."

Shulk's eyes fell from the clouds onto the burn marks Grima's spell had left on Ike's arm. "What- wh-what happened t-to you?", he stammered out, eyes widening in horror.

"Y'know, you were right about that bracelet you made being unable to be removed without busting up my arm," Ike mused with an odd laugh, but no one else found it funny. Instead, Shulk looked rather faint from the notion.

Quickly rushing towards the Knight of Fire, the seer, who seemed to be fighting back tears, quickly exclaimed "This is all my fault. I knew I shouldn't have given it to you, I knew trying to help you wouldn't make a difference in the end. Now look, as usual, I've just made things worse. I-I knew I sh-should have come with Palutena or D-Dark Pit, m-my healing magic is b-barely strong e-enough to f-fix a papercut, let alone t-that! I-I-"

"Stop," Ike firmly ordered. "That's not important right now. We need to worry about stopping Grima from killing Lucina's parents, not about my arm."

If he'd looked a bit frazzled before, Shulk looked frantically so after hearing that. Turning towards Lucina, he gave a defeated sigh. "I am so sorry," he muttered. "I- I really am, but I think it's too late now."

"Too late for what?", Lucina questioned, but she really didn't want to know the answer.

From the look he gave, like he was remembering a nightmare he'd had years ago, it was easy enough to guess what he was about to say before he even opened his mouth. "I've seen this happen, and honestly, after what happened last time, I'm scared to try to talk you out of it. You're going to go back to try to stop Grima, you're going to fail, and he's going to kill you too."

She felt just a little sick, but more than anything, she felt like she had whenever she was first using the Time core- like there was no possible way she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't really doomed, was she? Maybe she'd open her eyes at any second now, and find herself still asleep the Friday before her school finals. No, if she just looked at what surrounded her, two things became clear. One, she couldn't possibly dream up anything this cruel, and two, she didn't want to wake up from a dream like this. Even if in the end it was something so awful, in a way, she was still glad she's met them, glad she'd been a part of this.

Turning to Roy, she felt her eyes well up with tears. Sometimes she forgot how young he really was to be caught up in all of the terrible things he was, but it was impossible to when looking at the pain in his eyes. "You can't go," he stated in a deadened voice. "Please, there has to be another way."

Was there another way? She really hoped there was, but if changing her past meant ripping the world apart, was there anything she could really do? It was either a fated death by Grima's hands or being ripped from existence by paradox, and if there was another option, she didn't know it. "Shulk," she turned towards the seer, who refused to meet her eyes. "I know you've said you've changed people's fates before, so what makes you think I won't be okay?"

"I-I don't know exactly how it works, but it seems to have something to do with how much alteration to the timeline that instant of changing time will cause. Even if you only manage to save yourself, that'll still change a lot, from what I can tell, so really, I don't know if whatever paradox it causes will be enough to destroy you, or what else it might affect, but I would guess it's likely only you and Grima would be hurt if that is the case." Even as Shulk said this, Lucina could tell there was some part of it he was unwilling to mention. That alone made her dread increase exponentially, even if she thought that couldn't be possible.

"So it's either go out fighting and risk ripping the world apart or just stand there and let him kill me?", she assessed. Shulk replied with a grave nod. The latter option, having her brother have to live with the knowledge that it was his body that the blood of herself and their parents were on, she could never choose that, even if it was the best thing for the most people. "Then I'm going out fighting, and if I succeed, well, I hope it only hurts me."

Four pairs of eyes were fixated upon her as she said this, almost unanimously in shock, but all refusing to meet her's. "Lucina, what are you thinking?", Roy exclaimed. "You could end up getting Morgan killed, and if you do that, Red and Leaf will cease to exist, and that sort of paradox could destroy everything!"

An odd sort of smile came to Shulk's face, even if he still refused to look at her directly. "Cobalt only got erased because her existence was specifically prevented from happening. So, it's likely that's not what will happen to her, because she's not averting her own existence, just changing it a bit," he theorized, which really seemed to be a roundabout way of saying "it's a terrible idea, but go for it".

"You know, you're really risking a lot here," Roy warned. "Wouldn't it be just as good to just stay away and let things happen?" At least, that's what his words said. The pleading look in his eyes was something closer to "Please don't go, I don't want to lose you".

Her reply, as well as the tight embrace she locked him in was for the subtext alone. "I'm sorry, but if I didn't try to stop Morgan from doing this, I'd never forgive myself. And even if me changing my past means we weren't always friends, we'll still always meet, right?"

"I guess so," Roy's muffled voice agreed, but it sounded hollow and dead. "Just- please promise you'll try to do this without getting erased from existence?"

It really did hurt to think she might be giving up someone she cared about so deeply, even if everything went as well as possible, but what other choice did she have? At least, she supposed, Morgan wouldn't ever feel like she loved Roy more than him, even if it was a terrible thing to take comfort in. "I'll try my best," she vowed, and a great finality seemed to settle about the words. Her choice had been made, there was no going back, and she forced herself to step away from Roy and pick up the Thunder tome Morgan had dropped.

Before she could even ask for it, Shulk forced the Sky core into her hand. "You'll need this," he stated, adding under his breath as he took the Time core from her "Don't let this be the end, okay?"

Lucina gave a nod and a sharp inhale before stepping back. "Sky!", she called out, and a golden light enveloped her. As it faded, she took one last look at the her partners. Roy still looked like he was a pin's drop away from breaking into sobs, Red looked just as close to running towards her and refusing to allow her to leave without her, Ike still looked as if it must have been a miracle he was still standing, and Shulk continued to look at the sky rather than her. The people before her, those wonderful, broken people, she really didn't want to leave them. Even if the life they'd been given was cruel, it wasn't something she regretted being given. All she could do was pray they would meet again.

"Lodestar!", she cried, holding the book close to her. The world around her faded into a gold glow once more, taking her away from the world she knew and loved, and towards her battlefield. It was probably almost beautiful, but she could barely tell through the tears.

For a moment, she thought something had gone wrong, as the bright glow didn't seem to have faded. But that couldn't have been right, it was a far more yellow color than the void caused by that spell usually was, a yellow that enveloped the dark night that had settled over the world of her past. She could see through it, so it most certainly wasn't an error. Vaguely, she wondered if perhaps the Sky core was doing something odd, but when she looked at it, she found that wasn't the case. Rather, there were two cores in her hand, the Sky and Electricity cores.

As she wondered why Shulk gave her Ness's core, she heard a vaguely familiar voice laughing behind her. "Lucina! What- what are you doing here?"

Turning around, she saw a man she felt she should recognize, but couldn't place at all. It took the yellow glowing of his core bearing a white symbol at his touch for Lucina to connect the two. "Hello, Ness," she greeted. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The Knight of Electricity she last saw as a child smiled warmly.

* * *

_**AN- Oh look, it's Older!Ness! Hi, Ness! Also, Ike has been permanently injured and Lucina is running a very good chance of getting herself, Morgan, Grima, and possibly the entire universe destroyed! Happy fun times, am I right?**_

_**So, chapterly question- do you think Lucina's doomed? Also, what do you think Grima's deal is? I can tell you, it's a matter of time until we find out. Or rather, a matter of chapters. Like, probably less than five.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik**_


	67. Grima

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty Three- Grima_

Seeing Ness as not a young child, but someone who looked to be even older than herself was jarring. Even with all she had come to accept about the world, she still had to bite her lip to convince herself once more she wasn't dreaming. True, she supposed it was logical for him to be here, and just as much for him to be older, but something stopped her from entirely accepting it. Shakily, she asked "What are you doing here? Weren't you with Peach?"

He looked a bit startled by the notion, but quickly shook his head. "Nah. Well, I was, but that was a while ago. I'm back here now," he explained as he took his core from her. He looked at it almost wistfully, and vaguely, Lucina registered he had a beat up metal chain wrapped around his wrist. "But why are you here, anyways?"

Shock wearing off, Lucina cast a desperate look around. Grima, or rather Morgan was nowhere in sight. "I followed Grima here," she answered as she took a few steps forward, trying to see if a distant streetlamp might catch her foe's shadow. "He's planning to kill my parents in my brother's body."

"Grima's here?", questioned Ness through clenched teeth. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's stop him!"

Ness started to run off in the direction Lucina was looking, but stopped after a second and looked back. "Where are we headed, anyways?", he asked, and Lucina strained her mind for a response. The house she'd lived in when she was little, she didn't remember it at all, but it had been fairly close to where Aunt Lissa's family lived in her present, right? And the sidewalk the two of them were standing on now, it was outside some shops she always drove past but never entered. With that in mind, the direction she needed to head was just the opposite of the one she was facing, right?

Quickly pivoting, Lucina started dashing in the direction she thought Grima would be in. "This way!", she called after Ness, and his footsteps quickly fell in place behind hers.

As the footsteps echoed on, she realized they were quite a ways away from their destination, and also that she still had a thousand different things to ask Ness. However, he struck first. "So, Lucina, how long has it been since you've seen me, anyways?"

"I guess maybe…" She tried to think, she'd last seen Ness when they left the Observatory after Marth and Lucas's deaths. That felt like it had happened ages ago, yet it felt like only yesterday when Marth was in their company. "Maybe a week?", she finally provided.

Between panting breaths, he seemed to let out an odd laugh. "Only took that long for everyone else to be offed, huh?"

It took her a moment to realize what he meant. "N-no! Everyone else is fine! Well, I suppose Ike's pretty badly hurt, and half of us are on the verge of a mental breakdown- come to think of it, Zelda had one earlier today- but we're all alive."

"Really? Why are you fighting alone, then?", he inquired.

A question she wanted to keep from her mind. "Er, if we manage to stop Grima from killing my parents, that'll cause a paradox, and that could end up getting everyone hurt if we had a lot of people present." She gracefully danced around the truth, around her fate, but she couldn't be certain some of it hadn't leaked through in her voice.

"Well, I hope two fighting won't destroy the universe," he offered dryly. Traces of bitterness were present in his voice, which combined with its deeper tone made her feel as if she no longer recognized the speaker.

As they rounded a corner, she glanced back at him. Ness was looking at her like she wasn't there, and to be honest, that was probably exactly how she was looking at him. "You've grown up a lot, haven't you," she muttered sadly. "When we met, you were just a kid, and now look at you."

"Look, my childhood ended with the lives of the people Grima killed. Everything else I saw was just overkill," he gave a great sigh, as if he were about to get some great weight off his chest. "All these years, I've always wished I would have never been an Alchemist Knight, that I would have never gotten involved in this."

Even if the words hurt, she knew they were justified. "I wish you never would have gotten involved in this too. One question though," She felt a smirk coming to her face as she voiced it. "If you hate us so much, why did you follow me without me even having to ask you to?"

Ness gave a broken chuckle. "Grima's my fight too, you know," he answered. "I want to make him pay for what he did to my town, what he did to Paula."

She could accept that logic, so she stopped herself from asking a single question more as they made their way through the near-desolate town. They were nearing the place where Grima would undoubtedly be, but Lucina still couldn't quite remember where to go. It was nearby, but she wasn't sure how close and in what direction. In a twisted way, she was glad for the bright flare of Grima's signature lightning that pierced the sky to signal the location.

"This way!", and she grabbed Ness by the wrist and put every drop of adrenaline into forcing them ahead to where the bright flash had summoned them. Over the pounding of her heart, she knew Ness activated his core at some point, but other than that, nothing at all separated grabbing his hand and seeing a house she had long forgotten towering above her.

It was so odd, the sense of nostalgia brought on by a place she barely recalled. It seemed so vaguely familiar, like a place she saw in a dream once, but also like nothing she'd seen before. Her hands were shaking as she reached for the doorknob, but when she pulled it open, she knew the tremors had spread through all her body. Her brother was halfway through a Thoron spell aimed at her father, who was pinned to the ground by the blade he'd brandished against Grima in their one and only meeting that remained in her memory by the time she'd laid eyes on the scene. It was far too late to stop the image of the electricity her brother sent towards him ending her father's life with a flash, crack, and pained scream.

"I'm sorry!", she cried, and she felt tears burning her eyes just as bile burned her throat. "Morgan, I couldn't stop you. I-I'm so sorry!"

The crazed smile on her brother's lips was as terrible as the blood on his hands. "Oh, I'd forgotten how fun this was!", he chirped with disturbing amounts of cheer, but he wasn't addressing her. Rather, his eyes were focused on the white-haired woman standing next to her husband's corpse. Her eyes were as wide with horror as her daughter's, and given the pale, sickly tone her skin had taken on, undoubtably at least in part from use of the purple-covered tome in her hands, it seemed to be a miracle she was still standing. "And look, your daughter's come out to play too!"

"My daughter?", Robin repeated, and her eyes were drawn towards the doorway Lucina was almost too scared to step through. "You," she muttered as her eyes met her daughter's. "You're the girl from the thing five years ago, aren't you? Marth, wasn't it?"

Tears were threatening to stream down her face. "I lied to you back then. My name is Lucina," she admitted through the cracks in her voice. "I wanted to save you and father, but I guess now it's too late."

A smile spread across her mother's face, and a heartbeat later, Robin had embraced her. "Please forgive me for leaving you, Lucy," she pleaded in a steady voice. Lucina was fully aware she was crying now. All those nights she wished she could know her mother's touch, and this was the one upon she needed it most. Even if it was the worst kind of miracle, it was one nonetheless, and it made the fears of the darkness she was fated to fall into vanish. "And forgive me for asking you to flee so you may live on."

It was so hard to break from her mother's arms, but Lucina forced herself to instead draw her blade against Grima. "I'm sorry, but I won't let it end like this!", she roared through the tears. "Morgan, please, just wake up!"

Chuckling, Morgan produced the lightning-shaped sword Grima always brandished. "Looks like you want to go the same way Shulk did!", cackled the Celestial Guardian in her brother's voice. "Protecting someone who's going to die either way, who am I to stop you from seeing how futile your sentiments are!"

The blood screaming through her veins blocked out the notion of the nonsensical thing she'd just been compared to, but not the sound of her brother's body sending a shot of lightning towards her. It was too quick to even react to, so almost instinctively she raised her arm and tried to brace herself for the blow, but found it hit a shield she hadn't noticed the Sky core had granted her instead.

Even with Grima's insane smile, she couldn't bring herself to harm Morgan, so instead, she tried to walk towards him. "Please," she begged, raising her shield to block another shot of electricity. "Morgan, Grima, just stop this! What are you going to accomplish by killing us?"

For a brief moment, she could see her brother through the madness. He looked so lost and confused, but regained his sadistic sneer so quickly she wasn't even positive she really saw him. "No idea!", he exclaimed brightly. "But I'm just dying to find out, aren't you?" Morgan was so close to her, holding his blade like he was ready to run it through her throat, but she couldn't run, or even look away.

Two voices rang through the air before he could land the death blow. One was her mother's, crying out "Elwind!" and sending blades of air at Morgan's feet. The other was unmistakably the Ness who had accompanied her here, who called "Pulse!" and shook the air and shattered the windows with the power of a shockwave. Both things made Grima fall to the ground, his sword and tomes being blasted out of his hands.

Without thinking, Lucina bent down and extended a hand towards her brother's body. "Come on, Morgan, none of this is your fault," she assured him. "Promise me you'll wake up, okay?"

The lost look in her brother's eyes returned, and yet, she knew she was looking at someone different. Not Morgan, but someone as confused and terrified by his actions as he must have been. That person place not in hers, but on her forehead, and a flurry of memories flashed into her mind. Every time she'd been happy, every time she'd been sad, every time she'd wanted the entire world to disappear, it all ran through her like a wave, and as it pulled away, she embraced the lost boy collapsed on the ground.

Tides changed, and Grima quickly returned and forced her away. "I still think you're a fool for trying to stop things, but I have more important things by far to attend to," he stated curtly, and Morgan suddenly collapsed. He looked like a young boy once more, not a killer, and Lucina was all but positive her brother had returned to her.

A hand lightly rested on her shoulder. "See, you were able to save us after all," Robin's tearful voice proclaimed, and overwhelming joy filled Lucina's veins.

"I- I saved you," she almost whispered in awe. "I'm alive, I did it, I change our fates! I- I can't-"

She was cut off by an arrow of whiteness filling her vision.

* * *

_**AN- And cue cliffhanger! See, I'm not always terrible. At least she saved half her family. Sorry, Chrom, you didn't get to live to see your daughter saving her world from the path of disaster. Also, important note- next chapter will be classified as Lucina's Gaiden, but it is a direct continuation of this chapter! If you thought Gaidens were skippable, you are about to be proven wrong, 'cause this next chapter will be one of the most important ones in the entire story! Also, there might be another Gaiden right after that one that I know you people have been wanting to see…**_

_**So, chapterly question: so Lucina saved at least her mother. What now? Will she be destroyed like Cobalt, or will she have lived a drastically different life, or what? And why did Grima stop attacking? We'll find out soon now…**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	68. Gaiden Lucina- Time Theory

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Fourteen- Lucina- Time Theory_

The world around her was glowing as indigo as her core. Lucina was half positive she was dead, but the other half of her told her that she couldn't be dead if she was wiped from existence like Cobalt had been. The white that had been the last thing she saw, was that the pillar of light that had torn her would-be grand-niece apart? There was no pain of being ripped from the universe, but that must have been what it was, right?

She couldn't see anything for the indigo fog, but a voice told her that it wasn't just nothingness. "Hey!", called a bright voice. It seemed to be coming from nowhere, and yet everywhere as well. "Lucina!", it called out once more. "Hey, over here! I need to talk to you!"

Though she turned around to try to find the source of the voice, no one showed themselves. At least, not until someone tapped her sharply on the shoulder. Sharply, she turned to face a girl that looked much like herself, with dark blue hair covered by a floppy white cap marked with a symbol that looked vaguely familiar and eyes of the same shade. The girl extended her hand out to her as if to shake it, but upon taking it, found she was dragging her through the misty void.

"Where are you taking me?", Lucina questioned questioned. "Where- what is this place?"

Somehow without even faltering from her mad dash, the girl looked back at Lucina with a grin. "This is where things that are falling between dimensions end up," she explained. Whatever look she bore must have been an awfully confused one, as the girl suddenly looked embarrassed. "Er, let me back up a bit. Y'know how you stopped Grima from killing you? Well, that stopped the path your timeline was taking, and the changes that caused to the future were big enough to create a new timeline."

Those words confirmed what she had suspected her fate had been. "So I was ripped apart, wasn't I?"

Oddly, the girl shook her head. "Nope! You just got a bit caught up in the crossfire while the universe was gathering itself from changing its course so much, but you'll be back to your new, proper timeline soon enough. It's just- well, there's a lot we have to say to you, and not a lot of time until you go back, so we've got to hurry."

In all honesty, she didn't get any of what that girl had said at all, but judging by the pace at which they were running through the void, there didn't seem to be an awful lot of time for her to explain. This was only validated by how the girl launched into talking with barely a second given for questioning her. "So, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Dawn, the first Knight of the Light core. You know my, er, partner. You call him like, Dark Pit or something, don't you?"

A gasp escaped Lucina's mouth. "You were his first wielder? But- but- didn't you die?"

Dawn gave an almost sad smile. "Yeah, I'm dead. I guess that ended up causing everyone a lot of trouble, and I didn't even end up saving Kuma in the end, but I guess that was too long ago to apologize about."

"But if I'm alive, and you're not, how are we speaking?", Lucina questioned. "And how do you know who I am? A-and, and-"

With a wry little giggle, Dawn cut her off. "I know it's confusing, but it's also not something we have time to go into. Instead, I need to tell you something important."

Though she waited with rapt attention, Dawn didn't follow up on her statement until Lucina asked her to. "Well, you see, Alchemist Spirits aren't exactly- how should I put this- er, ethical. They're sort of a messed up thing. King Marc, for all his heroics, wasn't exactly the most empathetic person, and he did some sort of awful things to protect his people."

"Like what?", Lucina pressed, but Dawn had suddenly stopped running. A hazy figure was approaching them.

Hastily, the former Knight of Light apologized. "Sorry, we're sort of out of time here. You really need to talk to the next one now, so I'll just give you a message. Tell Metal this word, and only this word, got it?"

"What word?"

"Malon."

Releasing her hand, Dawn dashed off into oblivion, leaving behind only her one-word message for the robot boy, and a thousand unanswered questions. The word didn't make much sense to her, but if it was truly that important, she knew she had to commit it to memory. As the distant figure came into view she repeated it a thousand times, but her concentration was broken once she could clearly see exactly who was approaching her.

"L-Lucas!", she called out, and the former Knight of Love just smiled. He looked almost like the flashes of the hopeful little boy she'd seen when she'd first met him, bright and devoid of the spite he'd held in life.

As soon as she could see his face clearly, he turned sharply around and beckoned her to follow. He ran with just as blistering a pace as Dawn had. "It's nice to see you," he greeted, and for a moment, Lucina doubted she was talking to the same boy who'd hated the world of the living so very much. "I see you're doing pretty well, all things considered."

"I guess so, but- wait, how can you be here?", she asked. "You died in the future, but I was in the past, so-"

Lucas gave her the same excuse Dawn had: "Sorry, no time to explain. Really, it's all relative to you, and that's all you need to know. Instead, I need to tell you some things that might end up coming in handy later on."

"Like what?"

He chuckled briefly. "Well, I don't know how far Dawn got, but I think the Star core is a good place to start. Even if things get bad, and you just intend to use it as a power boost, you really shouldn't make it unless you have no other choice."

He left a small pause, as if beckoning her to push him farther into the conversation. "And why is that?"

"Well, you know how the cores are powered off of Spirits?"

She beckoned him further with a "yeah".

"The parts of the Star core aren't, at least not anymore. Their Alchemist Spirit, the one for the Star core, she's a separate being like Dark Pit. And she's not really on our side. If the Star core is made, that's pretty much just inviting her to swoop in and take over it, and if she does that, it won't end well for anyone."

Though he ended there, to her, it didn't seem like a good place to end it at all. "Why, what will happen, what will she do?"

A figure started to approach them once more, and Lucas turned away from her and started to dash off into the haze as Dawn had. "He can tell you better than I could!", Lucas cried after her, and then vanished. Even if Lucina hadn't been particularly close to him, seeing him again leave still felt like a crushing blow.

Even so, the pain of that blow was lessened considerably by seeing the figure who next approached her. She took a few steps forward to be certain, but there was no mistaking it. The spirit in front of her was undoubtedly Shulk. But no, the closer he got, the more he looked just very slightly different from the Shulk she knew. The dark circles under his eyes and thin face made him look terribly ill, rather than just a bit overworked like the one she knew was. His eyes though, that was the most defining difference. They looked so much brighter, so much younger despite the worn-thin appearance of the rest of his body.

"It's nice to finally meet you," greeted the twisted image of the seer.

He took only a few steps forward before lapsing into a coughing fit, and unlike the others, didn't ask her to follow him. All she could really do anyways was stare. After a moment, she finally managed to find the words she needed to voice. "You died?" He gave a nod of affirmation and her heart stopped. "I don't understand. I just saw you a minute ago, and you were fine, so what happened?"

That oddly unfamiliar Shulk stared back at her for a moment before shaking his head. "You didn't see me. We've never met, or at least, this me has never met this you."

"What do you-?"

Whoever she was talking to took a step closer to her. "I mean, the 'me' you know isn't at all this me. This me is from a timeline that died violently enough to rewrite the lives of everyone within it completely, enough to make the 'me' you know a completely different person."

Lucas's words echoed in her head: "He said you'd know what would happen if we used the Star core," she echoed. The Shulk she was facing looked down mournfully, like he was being forced to recall something unpleasant. No, considering Lucas's implications, that was almost certainly the case. Things came pouring back to her, and she reached a conclusion to try to stop the boy from further anguish. "You broke the Star core reset the timeline, didn't you?"

"I couldn't have," was his solemn answer. "I wasn't an Alchemist Knight, let alone the wielder of the Star core. It doesn't make me any less responsible for the fact that it had to be reset in the first place."

Something- no, everything about those words was a direct blow to the truths Lucina had founded her own insane world upon. "You weren't?" was all she could manage.

Laughing a little, the non-Knight image of the seer continued. "Of course not, I was far too frail to even be a soldier for Rosalina, let alone defend the universe. I couldn't stop myself from getting involved, though, and I made some fatal mistakes that led to everything getting worse."

Guilt dripped from his every syllable, and she couldn't help but wonder what he could have possibly done to make the universe reset. "What… What did you do?"

Only hesitating briefly, he looked at her in an odd way, as if he was seeing someone else where she stood. "For one, I made a way for the Star core to be used to see into the future."

"The Monado?"

"Yes, and it seems it helped drive both of its wielders into madness," he remarked. "Additionally, I senselessly followed everyone into a dangerous battle and ended up getting myself killed to protect Pit."

All differences between the Shulk she knew and the one standing in front of her quickly became eerily apparent. "You can't be the same person," Lucina declared. "You can't, it's not possible. Shulk wouldn't say that-"

"-That dying to save Pit was something to regret?", finished Shulk. "Well, don't think for a second I regret my intentions, I only regret what happened as a result. If I'd thought ahead and not even been there to get killed in the first place, Pit's death would have ended up meaning something rather than just being a meaningless victim of the insane rampage of the Star core."

What was he trying to say? It felt as if he was barely holding back words that he didn't want to speak, not even in desperation. "I'll spare you the details, but my death ended up causing the Star core's spirit to be able to possess its wielder completely and drive him to killing everyone, which led to him having to reset the timeline. Basically, it's my fault you, or Marth, or the other me are involved in this at all."

There was something he wouldn't say, and Lucina was a second away from telling him to spit it out when a bright light started to form around her, like the one that had brought her here, and indigo and gold ones that had brought her friends to countless other places. The other Shulk seemed almost relieved she was leaving, and simply called to her "Hey, if you get the chance, pass er- pass the Star core Knight a message for me: tell him that I forgive him, okay?", each passing word getting fainter as the light filled up her vision.

By the time the light had cleared, she'd half forgotten what she had been doing before. Had she passed out and had an odd dream of Grima trying to kill her and her mother, or had that all happened? Honestly, she wasn't sure.

The only thing she was sure of was that she had returned to the rainy present she had either left or been unconscious in, and Roy was leaning over her. "Lucina, you okay?", he asked.

A smile spread to her face as she sat up and promptly wrapped her arms around the Knight of Ice. "I did it!", she exclaimed. "I saved my mom, I saved Morgan, I stopped Grima, I- I- well, I think that happened, but my head's a bit fuzzy."

"Hey, let go of me!", Roy exclaimed, and Lucina felt her heart drop a bit. "Y'know," scolded the red-haired boy, "Just 'cause you're our leader doesn't mean you get to attack me like that."

"Sorry," she muttered, and let go of the boy. As she stared at him for a moment, she wasn't sure why, but she felt her eyes well up with tears. In another world, they'd been best friends, hadn't they? Her memory was hazy, but she had a theory perhaps that time was something this Roy didn't recall.

* * *

_**AN- Time changed drastically, so it's only natural that memories would change drastically as well. Roy might sort of remember Lucina, but he doesn't hold the same feelings towards her he once did, even if Lucina still remembers them being the best of friends. In other news, I can finally mention other timelines, because that happened! Now look at the prologues as the time the other Shulk was talking about. You get it now? Also, I know I was really vague on what the crap was happening in the void, but I think things like that are best left to interpretation.**_

_**I don't have questions so much as I have a request. Honestly, I cannot tell for the life of me if whether what I've been writing lately is good, and this is the most important part of the story to get right, so please, if anyone has any feedback, positive or negative, they would be greatly appreciated. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	69. Gaiden Marth- Transparent Truth

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Fifteen- Marth- Transparent Truth_

The streets were cooled by the air of what Marth was certain would be the last autumn he would ever see. Shame the leaves weren't as brilliant as they usually were, but it seemed the muted colors better reflected the muted spirits of everyone around him. Thanks in no small part to the warnings he gave his father and passed off as something he overheard some Akaneian troops saying while he had been out on a reconnaissance mission, everyone was fully aware that war was set to envelop their country any day. As the symbol of hope and heir to a throne he would likely never inherit he was, Marth felt it necessary to take as much of the task of preparing for invasion as he could upon himself.

That, however, still included patrolling the streets to make sure no unsavory people would use the country's desperation as an excuse to attack others. He so wished that people wouldn't think only of themselves in such troubled times, but it still happened, and as he walked down the streets where he had first met three people he was trying desperately not to remember, he spotted one such group of ruffians cornering a young hooded mage in an alleyway. Without a second's hesitation, he unsheathed his iron sword and charged for the axe-wielding men before they could harm the young man, whose arms were filled with tomes.

"Do not attempt to harm him!", he cried, plunging his blade so close to a man's head that he was uncertain he hadn't actually harmed him until he noted a lack of blood on the blade as he withdrew it. The group stared at him in wide-eyed shock for a moment before fleeing, and the mage they had been attacking looked on edge all the while.

Marth took a step closer to the man he had saved and extended a hand. "It's going to be alright," he assured him, and the mage made to take it, but dropped all he was holding somewhere in the motion. The sudden impact sent the spells the tomes contained flying through the narrow alleyway, filling it with bolts of dark lightning.

One of the dark bolts ran through Marth, but he didn't feel a thing from it. Instead, he just felt vaguely numb where it had entered his body, but even that faded away quickly. A panicked shock crossed the mage's face. "I am so sorry!", he exclaimed. "Are you alright? Did it hurt you?"

Giving a smile to assure him everything was fine, Marth made to pick up a few of the tomes that had been scattered on the ground. "Please do not worry about me, I am perfectly fine. You aren't harmed, are you?"

"Thanks to you I'm not." The mage took his books back quickly and began to stow them in a bag strung across his shoulder. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Prince Marth, aren't you?"

Those words quickly ousted the mage as a foreigner. Granted, he should have realized that by the fact that he wandered into a place infamous for the many robberies that occurred there, but it was far more apparent with him having to ask for confirmation on his identity. "Yes, I am. And you are?"

The mage did a polite bow before introducing himself. "Please, call me Henry, my lord, as it was my grandfather's name. He taught me all I know of magic, so I am proud to bear his name."

"No need for formalities, Henry." The mage returned to being upright and gave an odd grin. Very suddenly, the white haired man started to look so painfully familiar that Marth was certain this wasn't someone he was meeting for the first time.

Henry laughed a bit. "Why are you staring at me?", he inquired.

He had been staring, he realized, his blue eyes squarely fixed upon the mage's brown, and he felt rather embarrassed for having done so. "E-excuse me!", he apologized quickly. "I was just thinking, perhaps have we met somewhere before?

A sad look down came from the mage- or was it a contemplative one? Whichever it was, Marth felt as if he was rather difficult to read, or perhaps was he attempting to give off such an air? "I do not believe you have met me," he stated, with odd stresses on the words. "Perhaps there's just someone I remind you of?"

Straining his mind, he recalled a woman with white hair and brown eyes much like Henry's. It took him a moment to remember who she was, before he realized with a jolt she was Lucina's mother. "Perhaps, I suppose you resemble the mother of an old friend of mine quite a bit," he forced out, trying as little to think of how he met that friend in an alley after saving her from criminals as well.

"Oh, really?" Henry's eyes shone with curiosity. "Was the friend a mage by any chance? She may have been a cousin of mine or something, and most of my family practices magic."

Had Lucina ever mentioned being a mage? He wracked his brain, but found that he knew for a fact she was not. "No, she was not, but her mother was, if I remember correctly."

Now he felt as if Henry were staring, like the mage was willing him to remember something. "This friend of yours, what was her name?"

"Lucina Ylisse," he responded without thinking.

With a frown, Henry gave a small shake of his head. "The name sounds familiar, but I don't think she's a cousin of mine. Where did you meet her, exactly?"

How lovely, he thought, now he couldn't even act as if he was trying to banish the Alchemist Knights from his mind. For the first time in weeks, he allowed those memories to fully form in his mind. With a chuckle, he looked around at the alleyway surrounding them. "Here, actually, in this very spot. Well, perhaps not this exact alley, but one much like it. She and her companions were getting attacked by bandits, precisely as you were, and I couldn't stop myself from noticing she had absolutely no clue how to wield the sword she was holding."

Though he attempted to cut himself off to derail his train of thought, Henry's obvious curiosity would not allow it. "And then what happened?"

Voices echoed in his head, the ones that had filled that alley on a rainy day long past:

_"We could have saved ourselves, you know."_

_"Thank you, and forgive us for our friend's insolence."_

_"Sorry, we were just looking for a place to train,"_

_"I am Lucina Ylisse, and these are my, er, friends, I suppose, Roy Pherae and Ike Ragnell."_

_"I'm sorry, your highness, I just thought you looked a lot like Lucina, that's all!"_

Very suddenly, something in his mind snapped him back to reality. He had no idea why his memories evaporated so quickly, but for a brief moment they all seemed fake, like something that had happened to someone else in a book he'd read long ago. An odd sense of unfamiliarity seemed to settle over everything around him, save for perhaps Henry, who was giving him a concerned frown. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," he dismissed. "You- you wanted to hear about my friends, right?"

He was given a nod to go onwards, but Marth found that his eyes were starting to sting with tears. No, he couldn't ever regret his choices, that wasn't something he could possibly even let himself think. He had made the right decision, they would be just fine without him. "T-there's not much else to tell," he forced himself to tell Henry. "They were Knights travelling through this town, nothing more to it. I travelled with them for a time, but times are far too dire here to allow for me to be absent for long."

"Nothing more to tell?"

Of course there was more, but he couldn't allow that truth to be true to even himself anymore. All the horrible things he had seen, but also all the loveliness of their world, it couldn't even exist for the him of his memories any longer. He couldn't let any of that be anything more than a distant, fading dream. He had never seen a boy named Link killed and turned into a machine. There was never such a person as Grima. Ike hadn't made him feel something that couldn't be defined as platonic. Ike, it hurt to think how he'd cried more than anyone when he left, and the stinging at his eyes turned vicious.

"Nothing at all!", he exclaimed with a forced grin, but he couldn't stop his voice from breaking.

Though he tried to turn away to stop the mage from seeing him cry, Henry caught him by the hand. "If it was nothing, it wouldn't be making you so sad." Biting the inside of his mouth, Marth tried to stop the tears from spilling over. "There's no reason to not cry, you know," Henry told him rather matter-of-factly. "You have every right to be sad if you left behind people you really cared about."

"I have no right to be sad about it!", Marth countered, breaking out of the mage's grip and he becoming shockingly aware of how defensive his words sounded. "I- I mean, why would I be upset about choosing to protect my people?"

The sigh that came from Henry sounded exasperated, like he was hearing some excuse a sibling had told him a thousand times. "You have duties to your people, yes, but don't you also have duties to yourself?"

"No, that isn't a luxury someone born into such a role has," he explained. "I exist for the sole purpose of upholding my country. My own happiness is my homeland's happiness."

Almost recoiling at his words, Henry gave a disapproving shake of the head. "You really think so little of yourself?"

"P-pardon?"

"What I mean is," the mage gave a small chuckle. "You seem to think you yourself don't matter, only your status. I hope you know how silly that sounds, because where I'm standing, that just sounds like the words of someone who can't stand his own existence."

That wasn't the case, that wasn't true, but as many times as Marth repeated that in his head, it couldn't ever make it any more true than it was to begin with. The question remained, though, was that his own truth?

Henry's grin seemed to indicate he found the mental collapse he had caused at least a bit amusing. "Let me rephrase that: if you were anyone else at all, would have staying with those friends of yours been the life you would have wanted?"

"You have no right to speak to me like that!", Marth cried. "I am royalty, and it would do you good to show a bit of respect for that!"

Taking a few steps back, Henry glanced towards the open street behind them. "You remind me of my older brother," told the mage with no prompting. "He always thought of other people, to the point that by the time he learned to think of his own happiness, he had only a few days remaining in his life to enjoy it."

"E-excuse me?"

A sad smile came from the mage. "Marth, it would take a fool to not see that you don't have much time left, and I really don't want you to spend it in denial about who you are, about who you want to be."

Everything felt fuzzy and unclear excepting only Henry's words. For a moment, he could convince himself he was speaking to an old friend rather than a complete stranger, but only for a moment. "Leave. Now, before I have you arrested for being disrespectful to the crown prince!"

In an instant, Henry had turned and ran off, leaving only the bitter taste of his words behind. Marth looked up to the sky for a moment before deciding that it was late enough to call it a night.

As he began to head back to the castle, everything continued to feel dull and out of focus. As much as he tried to resist it, he couldn't help but think of what the mage had said. As much as one part of his brain insisted he was happy with the choices he made, and if he wasn't, he had no right to feel so, the other part of it, the one that had flared alive at Ike's touch, it said otherwise. It was clear to him that if Robin had been hard to read, he as transparent as glass. The mage had read him so very clearly, and there was nothing even he could do to deny it.

* * *

_**AN- Hi, Marth! Long time no see! Nice to see you're still alive for the time being, but that will change soon, I'm sure. (But really, I told you he'd get a Gaiden, and a Gaiden he got.)**_

_**So, first and foremost, I would like to issue a request: considering we are in the midst of a critical part of the story, I need feedback more than ever, so please, if you have anything to say of my skills in telling this story, I would love to hear it. (Just so you know, if you mean to point out a very odd typo towards the end of the chapter, that is intentional, I swear, and it will all make sense in a little while.)**_

_**And chapterly question, because potatoes. Who do you think Henry is, because he's definitely not the one from Awakening, considering he's not cackling about blood and all that.**_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	70. Memory

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty Four- Memory_

The more Marth walked on, the more blurry and unreal the world seemed. Absolutely everything he looked at seemed suddenly unfamiliar in the way a word might after being repeated a thousand times over. The streets, the sky, the people, they were all meaningless in his mind, and cold numbness filled the air. What was wrong with him, he wondered, but he thought he knew what it was. There was no way to deny it, he couldn't stop Robin's words from repeating in his head. He was unhappy with the world he lived in, he didn't want to die, and he certainly didn't want to die alone. These were truths, and it was pointless to lie to himself about it any longer.

Even returning home felt unfamiliar, like it was a place he had never set foot in. He didn't say a word to anyone who greeted him, not even Kris, but his friend wouldn't allow it. "Lord Marth, are you alright," he called after him.

"No, I'm not," Marth replied flatly. He was ready to leave it at that, but a pain that began to eat away at his head stopped him. Cringing in pain, he looked to the blue-haired young man, who was watching him with a worried horror. "Just- just give me a minute. I need to lie down or something."

Kris said no more, but it was plainly clear that wasn't because he wasn't worried. Rather, he was probably just shocked by Marth admitting so plainly he didn't feel well, but he wasn't in the mood for his normal denial. The world felt as unfamiliar as the other ones he saw ever had, perhaps more alien due to him knowing it shouldn't be so arcane, yet it remained to be so. Even his own room looked fake, even though he was fully aware he had lived there his whole life. Had the bolt Robin had accidentally sent at him not been harmless after all? Yes, that must have been it, just an odd curse. Without even pushing the covers back, he laid down in hopes that sleep would banish this odd bout of unfamiliarity.

That wasn't the case. Just flickering his eyes shut for a brief moment sent a fuzzy image shooting into his mind of a young boy who was the mirror image of Robin holding a Thunder tome. Robin? Why did that name keep popping into his head whenever thinking of the mage he had met? His name had been Henry, not Robin, and yet…

And yet as he shook off the vision, telling himself it was an odd side effect of whatever curse had hit him and he closed his eyes once more, another one came to him. This time, it was of the same boy, but much older and wearing a dark cloak. Something orange shone around his neck as his lips formed a spell Marth knew too well: "Lodestar".

His eyes snapped open once more. What- what was he seeing? The name "Robin" stuck in his brain, but why? The person he saw was either Henry or someone he had never met before in his life, so were they so vivid? Rather, why, if these were only odd flashes of a curse, did those visions feel more real than his own home?

Closing his eyes once more, he saw this time a bloodstained corpse with white wings and a terrified expression. His heart stopped as he opened his eyes. Pit, he was clearly dead, but why would he see something like that? He just didn't understand, but he didn't want to see any more. Biting the inside of his cheek, he forced himself not to even blink, so a ringing in his ears replaced the horrible flashes behind his eyelids.

"Come on, Mar-Mar!", the voice of a young boy called. He looked around desperately, but couldn't find any place it could have come from besides his own head. "Let's go! I wanna see Grandpa Henry before we have to leave!"

That voice, the name "Robin" still came to mind, but its words made no sense. He could have passed them off as Henry's memories had he not called him "Mar-Mar", but hearing that told him that wasn't possible. No one but Tiki had ever called him that, and only after he'd objected to "big brother", but hadn't he been the one to suggest the name? Come to think of it, he had given Tiki the name himself, but he had not a clue where he had gotten it. "Robin", "Henry", whoever it was, he couldn't fathom why he would call him that.

His eyes finally gave into strain and blinked of their own volition, and more images swam before them. A rapid flurry of faces and figures he could barely make out, but he knew he saw the white-haired man among them, and flickers of other Alchemist Knights. The orange pendant Robin had worn before, he saw it several more times, and a painful suspicion started to form in his mind. Was it possible that was an Alchemy core? It looked like one, at least.

Even when he was certain he'd opened his eyes, the visions kept coming. Eventually, they either slowed down enough for him to see them, or his mind began to process them faster. Ike, Roy, Red, everyone he had left swam in front of him. After a moment, he began to be able to make out what was happening, and though he recognized almost everything that was occurring in front of him, he was certain he remembered it differently. Link shouldn't have been fighting Mr. L with them, he hadn't lived that long, and he was sure that Ness should have been with them by the time they first met Pit and Shulk, but that wasn't at all the unnerving part. No, the unnerving part was that the more he looked, the more he was certain that Lucina was not in a single one of those flashes, and the more he was certain that the white-haired man was inserting himself into these scenes.

Marth found himself huddled in the corner of his room once the visions faded, his hands over his ears and the sharp taste of blood filling his mouth. He must have bit through his cheek in his panic, and a dull pain in his mouth told him so. What… what was he seeing? He just couldn't understand it at all. Those memories, they couldn't have been Henry's, or Robin's, or whoever that white-haired man was. No, they had to be his, as Marth recognized them all somewhere in the back of his mind as such, but they were all much different than what he recalled.

In desperation, he closed his eyes tightly, lips forming a plea: "Please, I just want to understand, what am I seeing?". That prayer was answered all too soon, as in the black behind his eyes swam a memory, as crisp as it had ever been. No, it wasn't a memory, it was a dream of sorts, as he was aware of himself walking towards a mirror.

The person who looked back at him in the mirror, he didn't look like him. What he wore was closer to the things Ike or Lucina might have worn when not fighting, and as foreign to the world he'd grown up in as anything else he'd seen. Glasses sat on his reflection's nose, a word he quickly realized he had no way of having known, as he'd never heard or seen such a thing in his memory. The crown he always wore was absent, and all together, the effect made it look as if that person behind the glass was from the era his closest teammates had come from, not his own.

As soon as he opened his mouth to ask the him behind the glass what was going on, the scene shifted. A frightening looking man with a scar on his face and white hair stood before him, looking rather angry. "Marth Lycaeides Lowell, apologize to your brother!", scolded the man.

He turned to a young boy, the white-haired one he'd seen so many timed before, whose eyes were filled with tears. An overwhelming wave of guilt crashed over him as the words "Sorry, Robin" escaped his lips.

Again, the memory divulged to another one. Robin, as he had called him with such certainty, was fighting a blue metal beast with a cross on its face, a creature like the ones that had floated about the observatory by his side. Drawing a sword, Marth rushed to help, but couldn't help but notice an orange glow about his "brother".

Another shift, this time to a fight against the Celestial Guardian he would come to know as Palutena. They were in the warehouse Green and Leaf had shown him long ago, Red, Ike, and Roy now by their side. "Let's finish this!", Robin cried, and a Thoron spell shot straight towards the woman, who vanished in a violet blur only a second before it hit her.

It was changing again dizzily fast, this time to something far more quiet. Pit was holding the Air core in his hands in the same sewers where they had fought Circe initially as he had first remembered it, but she was no where to be seen this time. The other Starstorm Knights were beside him, but Shulk appeared rather more sickly than Marth remembered him. "I'll come with you as well," offered this ill-looking version of the seer. "I'd hate to leave-" A coughing fit interrupted his words, and Robin rushed to ask if he was alright.

His heart stopped at the next scene. Ike was close to him, almost painfully so, and looking at him with an expression it took him a minute to place. "Marth, I can't stand to keep this quiet anymore," the Knight of Fire declared, and Marth knew his heart was beating faster than he thought possible when he grabbed his hand. "I really like you, I want to be with you!"

Emotion swelled inside of Marth as a smile came to his lips. Hearing that made him feel like nothing else in the world could possibly matter more than holding his gaze. "I feel the same," he admitted, and it was impossible to tell who started it, but the two had leaned into a rather awkward kiss in a second's time. He cursed the memory for pulling away before his lips did.

All the joy the last one had given him melted away upon seeing the image of Red collapsed in a pool of blood, gashes all over his body. "I- I can't do this, tell Leaf I'm sorry," weakly requested the Knight of Blood.

Roy quickly took his hand and pulled out his Dragonstone. "I'm sorry too," he apologized, and his stone filled the air with a blue light. In an instant, Red's wounds had all but healed, and Roy had fallen to the ground, stone-cold.

Red was the one to dominate the next vision as well, but this time, his eyes were filled with insane malice as he held a knife to Robin's throat. "I don't care what you say!", cried the Knight of Blood. "You- I can't let you live! You're going to end up killing us all if I don't kill you now."

Vision blurred with tears, Marth bent down to the ground and picked up the tome he vaguely recalled Midna had dropped as she left the scene. He had no idea how to use it, but he tossed it to Robin, hoping he might. A mighty, broken cry of "Goetia!" filled the air, and violet lightning put an end to Red's life. Robin then collapsed to the ground in tears.

The next thing he saw was a group of them fighting a rather large group of Star Eaters. Lucas and Zelda's bodies had already fallen to the ground, and a shot of some sort was headed directly towards Pit. Shulk was the only one able to react in time, pushing the angel out of the way and taking the blow himself. He fell to the ground in a crimson cascade as well.

Another scene change, and this one was so much more vivid than the rest. All sense of the fact that this was replaying in his mind was lost. Rather, he was living that event over again.

He felt the world come back into the focus, as if he had been knocked out and was just awakening from it. It was bloodstained and eerily still, but a lone figure still stood in it. Though his head throbbed, he forced himself to get to his feet and face the figure, who was dragging a crimson blade along the ground. He could barely recognize the figure, though he had seen it nearly every day of his life.

"Is it over?", he questioned hopefully. He did not answer, not even acknowledging his presence as he strode forward.

As he passed, Marth noted the blade, though it was always crimson, looked somehow different, splattered in some dull, dusty blood red that congregated near its tip. He didn't want to let the thought fully form in his mind of how it could have possibly gotten to be that way.

He finally brought himself to look at the figures collapsed on the scarlet-splotched ground. Too many of them were familiar. A white-winged angel boy was staring at the sky, a terror-stricken look eternally etched in his eyes. The green-clad blond and green-haired girl near him, they had collapsed in such a way that he could not see their dying fear. In a way, he was grateful for it, as it could not make him any more sick than he already was.

Pit, Link, Palutena, they were all dead, but he somehow knew they were the mildest pains. What had happened before he'd gotten here? Zelda, Lucas, Shulk, they had met their ends, and then something, he couldn't remember what, but something had happened. They had kept fighting, but then everything faded into a dull pain. Someone had knocked him unconscious from behind, his head told him as much. There was only one person who's fate he had not yet accounted for, yet they didn't seem to be present.

Trying to repress the throbbing of his head and the bile forcing itself up his throat, Marth tried to follow the lone figure, forcing himself not to look down in fear of what he might see. Naturally, this made him nearly trip over one of the collapsed forms on the ground. He caught himself looking down as he stumbled and caught a glimpse of a familiar form surrounded with crimson stains. Tears filled his eyes and he found himself unable to stop himself from kneeling down beside him. It was painful to keep his eyes on Ike's broken body, but he found he could not look away.

Hand shaking, he reached out to touch his cheek, which was far too cold, but found the blood on it was still almost wet. "Were you the last to die, then?", he asked, not even fighting against the breaking of his voice. Something between a chuckle and a sob escaped his lips. Just the thought of the coldness, of the fact that he'd never feel warmth from Ike, who he'd loved so much, it was too much to bear. "If this happened because you were trying to protect me, I swear I'll never forgive you. I-idiot, w-why didn't y-you just t-try to live f-for me? I w-would have b-been happier that w-way."

Those wounds, Ike had fought until there wasn't any of himself left to fight. Marth knew there was a simple answer to his question: Ike would have been just as miserable without him as he was now. Perhaps he had been, given that he'd been knocked unconscious in a pool of blood. Was it possible Ike had thought him dead and fought to avenge him? Marth couldn't bear the thought, it was worse than thinking he had died to protect him.

A quiet voice rose up behind him, making his hair stand on end. It sounded familiar, but warped in a way that made him incredibly uneasy. "So you were alive. That would explain the blood on his sword," the voice muttered, not seeming to care at all for anything of those words but their truth.

He only wondered a brief moment what he had meant by that before his eyes fell upon the blade that had fallen out of Ike's grip. The hilt was oddly bloody, like he had hit someone with it. Pieces clicked into his head in the worst of ways. That blood was his own, Ike had knocked him out. Perhaps to spare him the pain of seeing the rest of them die, but more likely to stop whoever had gone on to kill him from taking his life as well.

Marth finally managed to take his gaze off of Ike's corpse and looked the figure looming over him in the eyes. His eyes had lost their normal brown, and had been overtaken by the amber of the Star core, just as the Blood core had once shone in Red's eyes. This person, he was not at all who he had been before. The mad gleam in his eyes told him as much. "Robin, what happened to you?", he asked, feeling sick.

A broken grin crossed Robin's face. "Simple. All this power, it's quite lovely, and entirely too easy to lose yourself in. With it, I can make the world pay for what it's done. But the world still doesn't seem to care, so perhaps I'll have to take my despairing out on you."

The blood on Robin's sword, it was suddenly all too obvious where it had come from. "You killed them?", he asked, not wanting to know the answer. It still came, in the form of a nod and another broken grin. "They were your friends, your allies, just as much as they were mine. They trusted their leader, and you betrayed that trust. Even like this, can you really say this is the way to avenge Shulk?"

"Hardly, but he betrayed the trust I put in him to survive for my sake, and Pit didn't deserved that sacrifice. The others, well, I suppose I just got a bit carried away."

Robin's words, they made him feel as if he could collapse on the spot. This monster had eaten up someone who had once been kind and bright, and as much as he hated to do it, Marth was the only one left who could stop it. Taking Ike's sword in his hand, he lunged at the vile beast that called itself the Knight of the Star core, and was met with the cherry-red blade Robin had once held so dear.

Very suddenly, the memory dissolved, and he was huddled in the corner of a room that either was or wasn't his once more. What- what had he just seen? Those memories that were returning to him, they felt just as real as any he could remember of life in Altea, but very different. He had two sets of memories, two sets of lives, each feeling just as real as the other. He was Prince Marth, son of Cornelius, brother of Elise, Knight of Sky, but he was also Marth Lowell, son of…

Another memory briefly flashed before his eyes. Finally, Lucina had appeared in his memories, but she looked much older and bore a sad smile on her face. Her belly was swollen, as if she was due to give birth on any day. Briefly, he saw himself and a very young Robin at her grave.

Yes, he was also Marth Lowell, son of the late Lucina, brother of Robin, the Knight of the Star core, and yet he was Knight of nothing. Both things were equally vivid now, but which was true? He couldn't tell, he knew not which was the lie, but one must have been. What was he? Tears streamed down his face, but he didn't care at all. Either way, he was trapped here in his own despair with no escape but a fast-approaching death that was very well part of the lie.

The last coherent thought he was able to form before breaking down completely was that Robin, in his blaze of madness, had looked uncannily like Grima. So uncannily like him, in fact, that the last thing he could be certain of is that they had to be the same person.

* * *

_**AN- You confused? Good, you should be. Just trust me when I say that things will come to light in time. I would be lying if I didn't say this is what I've been looking forward to writing the most. I've been wanting Marth to know the truth/lie of his existence for ages, and the only thing that rivals this in my anticipation for writing it will come to pass rather soon now. Finally, I can scream to the high heavens: Marth and Grima are brothers, and Lucina's sons! And Grima is Male Robin! And Marth and Grima are both from another timeline. And Lucina doesn't belong in this story! Same sort of goes for Marth and Shulk, in a way. No chapterly question for this chapter, just yes! I don't have to keep the secrets any longer! Thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik **_

_**PS, the last three chapter titles, Gaiden included, have been stupid references to KagePro songs! Rejoice, for I am far too excited about everything!**_


	71. Gaiden Robin- World's End

_**AN- I thought this chapter needed the AN before the actual chapter rather than after. First of all, sorry about the hiatus, I was just a bit burnt out on the story after all those updates in the past weeks. Secondly, I want to say that this Gaiden isn't exactly like the format of the others , as the character whose Gaiden it is isn't the viewpoint character for the majority of it. Lastly, part of this chapter is the same as one of Marth's flashbacks from the previous chapter, but given a bit more context. Now, let's see how the original timeline ended and try to make a bit more sense of it, shall we? Thank you and enjoy. -Twilight Joltik**_

* * *

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden_

_Story Sixteen- Robin- World's End_

The battlefield had shifted away from the spot where three of their number had died. Pit so badly wanted to go back to recover Shulk's body, to mourn him just a bit more, but there was no time for that unless he wanted his friend's sacrifice to be for nothing. No, instead, he had to keep fighting off the endless streams of Star Eaters and hoping Robin would be able to take down that awful monster who called herself Midna in time.

He was so sure they would expend what remained of their lives fighting them, but very suddenly, the Star Eaters vanished completely. The battlefield fell silent, and nothing at all let out another shot. Even the Observatory troops seemed to vanish, but perhaps that was simply because there were none of them left to fight.

"Did they give up?", Link questioned as he scanned the skies. "Did we win?"

"Yes" was the obvious answer, and the one Pit so desperately wanted to believe, but as he let out a joyful laugh of relief, he could tell something wasn't quite right. The violent turn towards the distance Ike made confirmed this suspicion.

As Ike strained his eyes like he was looking for something, Marth asked exactly what he was looking for. Rather than replying, Ike turned his sword so the blunt hilt was pointed outwards, and then did pretty much the last thing anyone would expect him to do. In one swift motion, he hit Marth in the back of the head with the blunt hilt of his sword, knocking him out and to the ground.

"What was that?", Palutena immediately asked as Ike placed his hand back on the now bloodied hilt of his blade.

His eyes lingering on his unconscious lover, the Knight of Fire answered "I don't think this is over. I think the Star Eaters left because they couldn't do any more damage to us, and something else is coming. If this something else is strong enough to make them useless in comparison," Ike gave a bitter, humorless laugh. "Well, then we don't stand a chance. So if they think Marth's dead, maybe they'll overlook him."

There was very little logic in that action. The thought something stronger was coming was both plausible and chilling, yes, but taking out Marth, who was easily one of their strongest fighters, even without a core? Stupid at best and suicidal at worst, but somehow he couldn't blame Ike for wanting to protect someone he loved. If he wasn't positive Palutena would hate him for it, Pit would have gladly done the same to her, and he really, truly wished he would have thought to knock Shulk out to stop him from entering the battle in the first place.

"Well, even if we're up against something powerful, if there's any chance to save this world, I'll take it on," Link affirmed, drawing his own sword once more and giving a defiant grin. "That's what Zelda would want me to do."

Palutena readied her staff and faced the same direction as the other two. "And I want to make up for all the pain I caused this world," she added. "That's why I'll keep fighting, even if it is hopeless."

Drawing his bow, Pit took a step to stand beside Palutena. Something made him feel uneasy, like dread was starting to fill the very air, but he knew he'd passed the point where turning back was an option long ago. "Shulk, Lucas, Zelda, Roy, if we don't keep fighting, they'll have all died for no reason," he exclaimed.

"And Red," Ike added under his breath, and the other three cast him a suspicious glance.

"Red wasn't fighting for us," Link corrected. "At least not in the end. I mean, he tried to kill Robin, how could he have died for our cause?"

A deep thought-gathering breath, and Ike looked sadly into the dark skies. "You don't know the whole story," he countered. "Yeah, Red was trying to kill Robin, and no, I didn't really agree with that, but he was still fighting for our cause."

"How is that possible?", Pit questioned, but Ike's answer was stopped by a figure walking towards them.

If Pit strained his eyes, he could see an amber glow accompanying it. Robin would be fighting with them, at least. Maybe with his power they stood a chance. This brief spurt of hope was dashed by the pale, terror-stricken look that came over Ike's face. "Please, just let me do the talking," he pleaded, desperation cracking through his voice.

There was definitely something off with the Knight of the Star core, which became more apparent the closer he came to them. Unfortunately, his eyes couldn't be seen from a distance, or Pit might have been able to figure out what it was in time. Rather, Robin was already sending shots of light towards Pit before he could see the orange glow in his eyes and the screwed-up smile accompanying them.

"Robin, what are you doing?", Palutena questioned, but he didn't seem to hear her. Instead, he continued to charge for Pit, sending lightning strikes and bursts of flame at him so quickly he could barely keep up with dodging them.

"Elwind!", dodge, "Arcfire!", dodge, "Thoron!", dodge, "Strike!", Pit started to lose his footing, "Nova!", the explosion knocked him off his feet, "Goetia!", black lightning ran through Pit, bringing pain beyond comprehension. The Knight of the Star core gave a crazed spasm of laughter. "Oh, wow, you really did go down quickly! What a pathetic lifespan, not at all worth trading for Shulk's."

The world started to go black, and Pit only was able to vaguely wonder why Robin had killed him before realizing as the world and pain faded to nothing that he hated him because Shulk gave his own life to save his.

* * *

Roy had been right about the Star core- it most definitely was something Robin wasn't able to control. Ike had to tell himself that it was the corrupt spirit inside the core that had twisted Robin's grief into a deadly weapon. Even keeping that in mind, it was impossible to rid himself of the image of one of his best friends, and Marth's brother, no less killing one of their allies.

The orange glow the Star core had given his eyes made Robin's slasher smile and crazed laughter even more disturbing. "This world hasn't quite paid enough yet for taking him away from me, don't you think?", he mused.

Palutena cried out "Lux!", something barely audible though her tears, but it did nothing. "Arrow!", she spat at their former leader, but it was easily deflected by the Monado. Charging at him with her staff, the green-haired girl hissed "Killing Pit won't bring Shulk back, it'll only just make things worse!"

"Exactly," retorted the broken Knight. "And killing me will not bring Pit back, but you still intend to do it."

She confirmed this with a swing of her staff, but was blocked by Robin's sword, which extended its cyan blade of light into her chest. Palutena fell to the ground in a broken arc, her blood splattering on the ground. Link charged at him with an enraged roar, but was stabbed in just the same manner almost instantaneously.

With his grin widening somehow, Robin turned to Ike. "Odd, nothing has changed," he mused. "I thought surely a bit more blood would ease my cravings, but they've only seemed to grow stronger. Perhaps you will satisfy my appetite?"

The cherry-red blade lunged for his stomach, but a quick block from his sword was able to save him. "Robin, please just wake up!", Ike pleaded. "I know this isn't you, but please, if there's any part of you still in control, please, just stop!"

"You knew the Star core contained power like this, didn't you?", he was asked in a voice that sounded far too soft and sugar-coated to be coming out of such a demented person. "This is why Red tried to kill me, to stop me from accessing this. Roy knew as well, did he not?" Ike gave him a nod. "Well," Robin laughed. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? It would have been a lot more fun if I had this with more of you left!"

Before striking, Ike cast a glance at Marth, who was still collapsed on the ground. He prayed he'd stay that way until his brother had moved on to a new target for his bloodthirstiness, as he was starting to doubt even Marth could get Robin to come to his senses. Ike was fully aware he alone was no match for the Knight of the Star core, but he had to try. Even if he was strong, all it would take would be one misplaced blow to end this monster's life, and perhaps then Marth would never have to see what his brother became.

"I'm sorry," Ike muttered under his breath before swinging at Robin, but even he was unsure who he was addressing. "Please," He gave one final plea. "Y-your brother, Shulk, Roy, Red, everyone's d-dead now, can't we just stop before there's no one left to protect the world?"

Through the pounding of blood in his ears as he charged for Robin, only one thought was able to fully form in his mind: not a single one of them would get a happy ending to their story.

* * *

Marth felt the world come back into the focus. It was bloodstained and eerily still, but a lone figure still stood in it. Though his head throbbed, he forced himself to get to his feet and face the figure, who was dragging a crimson blade along the ground. He could barely recognize the figure, though he had seen it nearly every day of his life.

"Is it over?", he questioned hopefully. He did not answer, not even acknowledging his presence as he strode forward.

As he passed, Marth noted the blade, though it was always crimson, looked somehow different, splattered in some dull, dusty blood red that congregated near its tip. He didn't want to let the thought fully form in his mind of how it could have possibly gotten to be that way.

He finally brought himself to look at the figures collapsed on the scarlet-splotched ground. Too many of them were familiar. A white-winged angel boy was staring at the sky, a terror-stricken look eternally etched in his eyes. The green-clad blond and green-haired girl near him, they had collapsed in such a way that he could not see their dying fear. In a way, he was grateful for it, as it could not make him any more sick than he already was.

Pit, Link, Palutena, they were all dead, but he somehow knew they were the mildest pains. What had happened before he'd gotten here? Zelda, Lucas, Shulk, they had met their ends, and then something, he couldn't remember what, but something had happened. They had kept fighting, but then everything faded into a dull pain. Someone had knocked him unconscious from behind, his head told him as much. There was only one person who's fate he had not yet accounted for, yet they didn't seem to be present.

Trying to repress the throbbing of his head and the bile forcing itself up his throat, Marth tried to follow the lone figure, forcing himself not to look down in fear of what he might see. Naturally, this made him nearly trip over one of the collapsed forms on the ground. He caught himself looking down as he stumbled and caught a glimpse of a familiar form surrounded with crimson stains. Tears filled his eyes and he found himself unable to stop himself from kneeling down beside him. It was painful to keep his eyes on Ike's broken body, but he found he could not look away.

Hand shaking, he reached out to touch his cheek, which was far too cold, but found the blood on it was still almost wet. "Were you the last to die, then?", he asked, not even fighting against the breaking of his voice. Something between a chuckle and a sob escaped his lips. Just the thought of the coldness, of the fact that he'd never feel warmth from Ike, who he'd loved so much, it was too much to bear. "If this happened because you were trying to protect me, I swear I'll never forgive you. I-idiot, w-why didn't y-you just t-try to live f-for me? I w-would have b-been happier that w-way."

Those wounds, Ike had fought until there wasn't any of himself left to fight. Marth knew there was a simple answer to his question: Ike would have been just as miserable without him as he was now. Perhaps he had been, given that he'd been knocked unconscious in a pool of blood. Was it possible Ike had thought him dead and fought to avenge him? Marth couldn't bear the thought, it was worse than thinking he had died to protect him.

A quiet voice rose up behind him, making his hair stand on end. It sounded familiar, but warped in a way that made him incredibly uneasy. "So you were alive. That would explain the blood on his sword," the voice muttered, not seeming to care at all for anything of those words but their truth.

He only wondered a brief moment what he had meant by that before his eyes fell upon the blade that had fallen out of Ike's grip. The hilt was oddly bloody, like he had hit someone with it. Pieces clicked into his head in the worst of ways. That blood was his own, Ike had knocked him out. Perhaps to spare him the pain of seeing the rest of them die, but more likely to stop whoever had gone on to kill him from taking his life as well.

Marth finally managed to take his gaze off of Ike's corpse and looked the figure looming over him in the eyes. His eyes had lost their normal brown, and had been overtaken by the amber of the Star core, just as the Blood core had once shone in Red's eyes. This person, he was not at all who he had been before. The mad gleam in his eyes told him as much. "Robin, what happened to you?", he asked, feeling sick.

A broken grin crossed Robin's face. "Simple. All this power, it's quite lovely, and entirely too easy to lose yourself in. With it, I can make the world pay for what it's done. But the world still doesn't seem to care, so perhaps I'll have to take my despairing out on you."

The blood on Robin's sword, it was suddenly all too obvious where it had come from. "You killed them?", he asked, not wanting to know the answer. It still came, in the form of a nod and another broken grin. "They were your friends, your allies, just as much as they were mine. They trusted their leader, and you betrayed that trust. Even like this, can you really say this is the way to avenge Shulk?"

"Hardly, but he betrayed the trust I put in him to survive for my sake, and Pit didn't deserved that sacrifice. The others, well, I suppose I just got a bit carried away."

Robin's words, they made him feel as if he could collapse on the spot. This monster had eaten up someone who had once been kind and bright, and as much as he hated to do it, Marth was the only one left who could stop it. Taking Ike's sword in his hand, he lunged at the vile beast that called itself the Knight of the Star core, and was met with the cherry-red blade Robin had once held so dear.

Crazed laughter continued to spill out of Robin's mouth. "You know," he told as he parried a clumsy blow from Marth. "Your faith in your precious Ike was unfounded. There were a lot of things he never told you about, you know."

"I'm sure there were!", he called back in retaliation. "There are things I never mentioned to him as well, I'm sure, and any secret he took to the grave isn't really my business."

Their blades met with grating clash. "You don't seem to understand," half-laughed the shell of his brother. "You know Red's pathetic little attempt to kill me? He was in on it."

For a brief moment, Marth was rendered speechless, but he shook it off. "Why would he have told me that? Given what you've become, it's not really that surprising, and if he'd have told me before I could see what would happen to you with my own eyes, it wouldn't have ended well for anyone."

"Roy was in on it as well," continued Robin, with the same sick smirk on his face as he attempted to murder the last enemy standing in his way. "Don't know who else, but it wouldn't have surprised me if Zelda had something to do with it. Shame I didn't get to make them pay for their crimes."

Everything about the person standing before him was sickening. He wanted to watch the world be reduced to nothing but blood and ash, but still, he bore the face of the one he'd spent nearly all his life protecting. "Robin, please!", Marth cried out. "Please, if my little brother still exists, just bring him back to me. Our mother didn't give her life for a murderer, she gave it for a person who was willing to do anything to protect the people and world he loved. That person, I want to see him again!"

A cold laugh told him his pleas fell on deaf ears. "Sorry, Mar-Mar, but no amount of whining will save you."

Tears blurred his vision to the point where it was almost impossible to see the blade headed towards him. He supposed it didn't matter if he saw it or not, as with a loud thud he dropped Ike's last gift to him to the ground, but he still tried to blink them away enough to look his killer in the eyes. "I won't fight you," he affirmed. "I'm not going to let anyone else I love be hurt by you."

For a brief moment, Robin faltered as he attempt to ram the Monado through his chest. A brief flash of the boy who had been enveloped by darkness looked completely decimated, even making his weapon's blade flicker away, and Marth quickly embraced him before he faded once more. "It'll be alright," he murmured as he felt his brother fade away once more. The metal chord around his neck, the Star Core that had made this world into such an awful place for them all, it brushed against his arm, and he knew that there was only one way to stop all of this.

Reaching around, he snapped the core's chain away from Robin's neck and took it into his hand. Placing that hand between himself and where the Monado's blade would extend at any second, he whispered "Let's end this, together."

As pain split both his body and the core open, he felt a small smile come to his face. Perhaps in this new world, the people he loved would be whole and unbroken.

A void of time and space, a bright gold glow enveloped Marth Lowell. From that point onwards, there was no such person.

* * *

Someone- what was his name? He couldn't recall- stumbled out of somewhere he had no memory of. What was he? Who was he? Someone had told him things would be alright and they could end their pain, but who?

"Master!", called a bright voice. He turned around to see a shadowy, impish figure approaching him in the darkness of whatever the place he was happened to be. "You still want to put an end to this world, don't you? And gain more power?"

Power, bloodshed, he craved them. That was who he was- blood and rage, with a twinge of sorrow mixed in. "Of course, my dear," he cackled. "But to what ends?"

"We'll make the Alchemist Knights suffer, does that sound nice?", she proposed.

Alchemist Knights? The name sounded vaguely familiar, the sound of it bringing up images of bodies he felt he should recognize in pools of blood he was sure he'd caused. "Yes, sounds lovely. Only one question: what is my name?"

"Does Grima sound nice?", she proposed.

Grim- a reaper of souls, what a lovely name. He embraced it gladly, unknowing that it was fitting for another reason. He had no memory of being the herald of death for everyone he'd ever loved, but it was still the truth.


	72. Alive

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty Five- Alive_

Burning, searing pain shot through Ike's arm, like the spell that had destroyed it was still being cast. It was odd; practically his entire right arm was completely numb and filled with thousands of burning bolts of electricity that knocked against every inch of it at once. Honestly, he didn't know what it looked like, considering he couldn't bear to look without feeling like he would simultaneously black out and be sick, but it wasn't as if he was the only one in pain. Roy was rather broken up over Lucina's fate, and said Lucina was more than likely facing her last breaths right about now.

Lucina, oh God, Lucina, he hated himself for not being able to stop her. If he hadn't gotten himself so badly hurt, he would have gone after her in a second, but apparently, she was doomed to begin with. No, maybe not quite, as even if the seer's eyes were glued to the storm clouds, Ike could still make out a gleam of pride in Shulk's eyes.

"So, what's your plan, anyways?", he questioned, but Shulk didn't even acknowledge him. No, he just continued to look up at the sky, not even so much as grunting to confirm he'd heard him. Ike gave a small cough to try to grab his attention, sending another spasm of pain through his arm. The seer still didn't look his way until he shouted "Come on, what's your plan? I know you have one!"

Though Shulk's eyes were torn from the thundering clouds, he still wouldn't look directly at Ike. "I don't have a plan," he clearly stated, but that odd glint in his blue-green eyes said otherwise. "I'm just hoping for the best, that's all. Maybe she'll be able to change time like Leaf, and hopefully without ripping anyone apart."

His dismissive tone hardly matched his words, and combined with the almost aggressive determination to not look at him head on made Ike feel as something else was at play. "You okay?", he questioned, and was met with a small huff of annoyance.

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine!", cried Shulk in a contradictory tone. "It's not like everyone I know's gonna die soon and I'm the only one who even try to stop it and every time I think I'm doing something right I just end up making everything worse or anything. Nope, I'm not under any stress whatsoever."

He ended his sarcastic outburst with a humorless laugh, leaving Ike unsure whether he should attempt to comfort him or simply leave him alone. "You don't make things worse!" came out of his mouth before he could think it over, however, so he went with the former. "I mean, you've helped lots of things!"

For a brief moment, eyes narrowed in annoyance finally met his, but they flickered away quickly. "Out of everything I saw, I was only really able to stop Leaf becoming Cobalt, and other than that, I could only make things worse or just marginally different.

"So you couldn't stop it, that's not making things worse!", Ike countered. Almost habitually, he tried to make some hand movement to punctuate the statement, but pain stopped him before he could even really figure out what it was supposed to be. "I mean, you tried, and that's something, right?"

Shulk's gaze lingered on Ike's injured arm for a moment. "If I hadn't tried to help you, your arm would be perfectly fine, and Zelda wouldn't have been involved in Marth leaving."

A lot of things very clearly had red flags on them, flags that he wanted Ike to acknowledge, but he chose one that probably wasn't intended to be a standout point. "Marth would have left no matter what, then? Even if Zelda hadn't been there?"

"Y-yeah…" Shulk trailed off, still looking anywhere but directly at him. "I'm sorry, there wasn't we could have done to save him, and even if there had been, well, there wasn't any way to convince him staying here was the morally right thing to do."

Emotional pain was now coursing through him just like his physical agony. He supposed Shulk was right- he couldn't have convinced Marth that it was more right to follow them than the people he'd been born into protecting, but surely there was something he could have done to keep protecting him, even then. "I- I should have gone with him!"

The thought, he hadn't let if fully form until now, but shouting it out, he suddenly felt that was exactly what he should have done. If he truly loved Marth, he should have gone to any lengths to protect him and not let him die alone. But, he couldn't have abandoned the Alchemist Knights as well, could he?

This was precisely what Shulk told him. "No, we needed you, Ike," he was assured. "Besides, Marth chose to go alone, and he wouldn't have wanted you to die too."

"I guess you're right…" He trailed off, and found himself looking at the sky. "But all that Zelda said," the stinging words shared in the cave returned to him. "Am I really that obsessive?"

Blue eyes finally focused on his and remained there firmly. "Yes, you are in fact, obsessive," the seer dryly reported. "But that's not a bad thing. Giving everything you have into one cause; I think that's a good trait to have. Better than being completely desperate, at least, and I'm definitely that in more ways than one."

That last part was said with a wry chuckle, and he was all but certain Shulk was talking about himself. "Is this about the other night?", Ike questioned, and was given a nod for reply. "I told you, it's fine, and it's super flattering that you think I'm heroic, but I just-"

"Look, it's not your place to apologize. I know I acted rashly and I shouldn't have thought that I could help you get over Marth in the first place." There was nothing of bitterness in his voice, just cold, dead honesty. "And it was as much for my sake as it was yours, but it was late at night and I couldn't get the thought out of my head, so let's just forget about that, okay?"

He felt almost bad saying "Okay," and for half a second truly wished he could feel something other than pity for the seer, but he truthfully could not see himself giving everything for Shulk like he could for Marth.

However, before another word could be shared between the two, a bright, oddly-colored light filled the air, and he let out a cry of pain as his arm fought against him turning his head and stepping forward towards it. It cleared quickly to reveal two unconscious figures: Lucina and Morgan. Roy quickly dashed towards them and grabbed Lucina's wrist, and then her brother's before letting out a sigh of relief. "Alive," the Knight of Ice muttered, followed by an odd laugh. "They're back, and alive."

It was hard to refrain from punching the air in celebration, but the shockwaves of pain that shot through his arm as soon as he made a movement stopped that pretty quickly. Behind him, he couldn't tell if Shulk was sobbing or laughing, but it was more than likely something between the two.

After a moment, the Knight of Time stirred and, as Roy asked if she was alright, Lucina hugged him tightly and exclaimed "I did it! I saved my mom, I saved Morgan, I stopped Grima, I- I- well, I think that happened, but my head's a bit fuzzy."

Was that what happened? Ike found he couldn't exactly remember what had led up to Lucina leaving either, but knew that it seemed a bit odd for Roy to be acting so standoffish towards her.

She seemed a bit more somber as she stood up and made her way towards him, but a big smile returned to her face after a moment. "Ike, the memories are a bit fuzzy, but I think- I think I changed the future without anything terrible happening. I mean, my father still died, but my mother's alive and so am I. Grima, he escaped, but I stopped him."

It took him five seconds too many to figure out why she was telling him this specifically and not Shulk. And then, precisely what she was suggesting hit him. "Wait, you mean… Marth?"

"Well, if things can be changed twice, they can be changed again." Roy mused, and then cast a pained glance at his mangled arm before continuing the thought. "We should probably wait for Ike to recover a bit before heading out, though."

"No way!", Ike cried out. "I'm not going to let a little thing like this hold us up. Let's hurry up and go before Roy changes his mind!"

Lucina laughed before settling her glance on Morgan. "I should really stay with him, though," she muttered. "He's been through a lot, and I don't want him having to walk home alone after all that."

"Leave that to us!", Red exclaimed. "You were closer to him, and besides, I sort of want to get to know my grandpa- Arceus, that's so weird to think about."

"But we weren't asking you to-" Roy started to object, but Lucina jabbed him in the stomach. Was Red trying to intervene again and keep Shulk from having to see him reunite with Marth?

Lucina had certainly picked up on something similar, if her nod towards Shulk was any indication. "How would we warp to him, though?", she questioned the seer, who simply handed her the Time core once more.

"Well, it brought you to him the first time," that was his only elaboration. It seemed to suffice, as Lucina and Roy both took a step towards him and Shulk took several away after that.

"Time!", Lucina cried, and was enveloped by the same attire she'd worn for most of their time together. "And Warp!"

Indigo light filled Ike's vision, and a painfully familiar sight soon formed in front of them: the streets of Altea. Luckily, it seemed the castle was much closer this time, and for a nice change of pace, it was not raining there.

Wordlessly, they made their way towards the castle, like Marth was leading them there once more, and Ike wondered if it was weird to be nostalgic for something that had only happened about a month ago. Everything seemed like a dream, like it would fade away the second he blinked, but it didn't. The constant shots of lightning in his shoulder told him as much. They were really there again, they were really going to see Marth again, he was really probably permanently crippled, but he honestly didn't care about that part of the future. After all that had happened, surely they could convince him to at least see their cause out to the end, right? And even if not, they could at least try.

As they approached the castle gates, however, something appeared to block his euphoria. More specifically, two somethings who were guarding the gates. Two somethings that wouldn't listen to Lucina when she explained they were friends of the prince's who wanted to see him.

"We have strict orders not to allow anyone who's not authorized in the castle," the red-armored guard exclaimed.

"Sorry miss," the green-clad one followed. "But you don't exactly have any proof of your claims, so we must take them lightly."

Ike was perfectly ready to try to find proof, but it seemed it wasn't needed, as a blue-haired man came from behind them and simply stated "Lord Marth is expecting them. Let them pass."

Both guards looked a bit irked by his claims. "Really, Kris?", the red one questioned. "We weren't told about this."

"Just let them in," the man, apparently the Kris he'd heard so much of repeated, and the guards opened the gates begrudgingly.

Kris ran through them, and the three Alchemist Knights followed. "Thank you for letting us in!", Lucina exclaimed. "Is Marth expecting us?"

She was returned a glance backwards and a dire shake of the head. "Of course not, but if you really are his friends, I think he needs to see you."

"What do you mean?", Ike questioned as the possible future king opened another set of doors that led to a grand foyer. "Is something wrong?"

Though he said not another word as he led them up a spiral staircase, the implication was clearly a resounding "Yes". Ike felt his heart pounding as they made their way down a tight hallway. Was this about what Tiki had said, about Marth going mad in his last days?

When Kris opened a door and ushered them through, these fears were confirmed wholeheartedly. Marth, who was standing by a black-veiled curtain, looked as if he hadn't slept in days, unnaturally pale, and notably thinner. Though he looked at them as they entered, no flash of recognition or smile came to his face. He simply stared at them for a moment before turning away. "Marth, I-", Ike called out, but he was met with the last response he would have expected.

"Don't speak so casually to royalty, intruders," demanded the prince, but his voice sounded hollow and dead.

* * *

_**AN- We're back! Sorry about that crazy hiatus, but life happened and then I got sidetracked writer's block and stuff, but we're back! Don't know for how long though, 'cause looking back, I think this story is getting a bit precariously balanced, and I don't know how much further I can go without it collapsing. I promise at least four more chapters, though, and possibly more, but I don't promise all plotlines will be resolved. Fair compromise?**_

_**Chapterly question: we're towards the end here, and I think we have a good grasp on the characters, so who do you like best? I would probably say Pit, to be honest. I really like how his stuff turned out, for the most part. **_

_**So, thanks for reading, and so sorry about that huge hiatus! –Twilight Joltik**_


	73. Corruption

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty Six- Corruption_

There was definitely something wrong here. Why didn't Marth recognize them? Had something happened to him? He certainly looked a bit ill, but had he really gone mad as Tiki has said? "Intruders?", Ike repeated. "What do you mean, in-"

The prince continued to be solely fixated on the black curtains, but for a split-second, Ike thought he saw a pained look on his face. "Kris, please show them out," he ordered, lacking all of the politeness he normally carried.

"My lord, I really think you need to talk to someone!", exclaimed the man who had showed them in. "These travelers, they claimed to be your friends, and if you won't talk to me or any of the others you should at least-"

Marth cut him off with a wave of his hand. "That's enough. If you allowed some brigands in off the street without so much as verifying a connection to me- which they do not have, might I emphasize- I don't, er, do not believe you have the right to be advising me on my conduct."

Lucina stepped forth bearing a worried frown. "Marth, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I am Prince Marth!", he corrected angrily. "Prince Marth of Altea! That is the only person I have ever been and will ever be, so you will address me as such!"

With a sigh, Lucina took a few steps closer. "Alright, 'Prince Marth of Altea'," she amended. "Are you okay?"

He suddenly turned around once more, deadened eyes staring at absolutely nothing. "I- I-" The prince tried to force words out, but they seemed unable to be drawn. Instead, he covered his ears and seemed to mouth the words he couldn't find the air for.

"Please, calm down!", begged Ike, but the pleas didn't seem to reach wherever Marth's mind was. A sudden, rash movement carried the Knight of Fire a few paces forward and though he attempted to extend his hand, the bolts of pain he'd nearly forgotten stopped this quickly. Marth stared at him for a moment before letting out a small cry.

"N-no! Get away from me!" Marth jumped back onto the bed behind him and produced an iron sword to point at his visitors, in as much of a battle stance as one who was sitting could ever muster. Both his balance and voice were wavering as he cried "This isn't real, you aren't real, you're all dead, stop trying to trick me!"

Tears were falling from the prince's eyes now as they flitted between each of them. No one said a word- no one could find a single one to say. "Lord Marth," Kris finally managed to start. "These people are very much alive. If you didn't wish to see them, forgive me, but I thought if I couldn't get through to you, perhaps they could."

"You… summoned them?", Marth inquired. Somehow, that seemed to focus his mind a bit, given he seemed to be a bit more steady as he continued without waiting for a response "Impressive. I didn't realize you were capable of such things."

Kris simply stared at his liege for a moment before shaking his head. "I- I didn't bring them here," he insisted. He looked as terrified as Ike felt, hand lingering near the handle of his sheathed blade.

"Ah, is that what you're going with?", Marth questioned, something eerily resembling bloodlust shining in his eyes. "Our mother, our friend, my love, it's only a coincidence I see them here?"

"What are you talking about?", Roy quickly inquired, and Ike could have said it no better himself. "We aren't dead, and certainly not your mother."

Standing up on the bed, Marth pointed his sword at Kris, as if readying for a death strike. Vaguely, Ike became aware that the whole situation would look very silly if he wasn't terrified of the mad gleam of death in his love's eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, Robin, but I've seen the things you've done!", the prince snarled, somewhere between a sob and a laugh.

"Robin"? The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it until he hear Lucina's soft mutter of "Mother-?"

His sword readied at his side, Kris, between shallow breaths, assured "I- I'm not 'Robin', whomever that may be. I'm Kris, remember?"

A smug grin worked its way on the prince's face. "Oh, you've been going by a lot of names lately, haven't you? 'Kris', 'Henry', 'Grima'; are you running from something, little brother?"

Two things seemed very possible at this point. Either one, Marth was completely delusional, or two, he knew a rather lot they didn't. Whichever it was, Ike couldn't quite piece together the pieces. "So Lucina's mom is Grima and also your… younger brother?" Just saying it out loud sounded ridiculous, and the first possibility seemed much more likely.

"Why are you acting so confused?", Marth questioned, moving his blade frighteningly close to Kris, who seemed to be too stunned to flee. "Robin, you know him. You and Roy and Red tried to kill him, last I heard."

Too many questions, he didn't even know where to start, but Lucina made an attempt to get something on the table. "Well, most of have tried to kill Grima, but what makes you think his name's Robin and he's your brother?"

"Do the dead's memories corrupt as well?", Marth counter-questioned. "Or are you just illusions he conjured up?" With a dangerously elaborate leap, Marth dismounted from his bed and landed with his blade pointed at Kris's throat. "Let's end this and see, shall we?"

Though he positioned his sword in such a way that it could harm the prince as easily as he could harm him, it was clear which of them was actually willing to strike and which was on the verge of tears. "Please, I don't have a clue what you're saying! What- what did I do?", Kris half-sobbed.

"You killed a great deal of people who trusted you, including the one I loved the most!", Marth roared back. "And whatever it was that happened afterwards, it seems that too claimed many lives. I was too timid back when this battle first began, but I see now that I need to put my own feelings aside and end you before it's too late to avenge the phantoms before me!"

Before the prince could lunge for a single blow on Kris, all three Alchemist Knights ran to stop him. "He's not Grima, he's your friend Kris!", Roy cried out. "You said as much when we came in here!"

"Please, just calm down and tell us what's going on!", pleaded Lucina.

Marth shook his head and attempted to run through them, but Ike caught his shoulder before he did so. This alone made Marth look as if he would fall over at any moment. "You- you're really here?", questioned the prince.

Ike nodded, biting the inside of his lip to forget that he was using his injured hand. Marth's eyes welled up with tears. "But I saw your corpse," Marth protested softly. "You were dead, and he- Robin killed you."

"I'm really sorry, but none of us have any clue what you're talking about," Ike stated. "If you can just start from the beginning, we can clear everything up and-"

"To be honest, I don't know what I'm talking about myself," Marth admitted with a chuckle. "Everything's so muddled. I remember being here, and I remember being with you, but I also remember you dying and it doesn't seem to add up with anything. Robin, Grima, I think he did something to make me remember that, but I really don't know for certain."

A small gasp escaped Lucina. "You encountered Grima?", she questioned.

"Um, I think perhaps I did?" Marth's voice was as certain as the oddly worried frown he gave. "I thought it was him, at least. I'm still not entirely sure, but I met a mage in an alley that looked like how I remember him and-"

Very suddenly, the Knight of Sky's eyelids fluttered and he would have fell backwards if it wasn't for Ike steadying him. "Maybe I'll remember better if I sleep," he proposed with a yawn.

Drawing his hand away, Ike became aware of how pained it had been from even that small use. Still, he supposed it was the least crucial matter at the moment. At very least, he knew he hadn't failed to protect Marth, who had seemingly fallen asleep at the foot of the bed instantly.

"Thank you," Kris whispered after a moment. "I was worried he'd fallen horribly ill, but it seems you three were able to at very least make him willing to sleep."

"Was it truly that bad?", Lucina questioned. "How long had this been going on for?"

Kris strode over to the sleeping prince and draped a blanket over him. "Several days, at very least," he answered. "He'd refused to eat or sleep and was as on edge as he was when we first arrived. I can say him attempting to murder me was new, though."

"I just don't understand any of this," Roy mused. "Grima most likely cursed him, but where did all that other stuff come from?"

It had seemed important to understand a moment ago, but all that had seemed to vanish. "We can find out later," Ike stated. "What matters now is that he's okay."

"We should probably leave now, though," Lucina said, grabbing Marth's wrist and placing her other hand on the Time core. "Don't worry, we'll bring him back whenever everything blows over," she assured Kris, who was gaping at the scene uncomprehendingly.

He gave a wordless nod, as if afraid to protest, and for a moment, Ike wondered if perhaps they should wait until Marth woke up to ask him if he wanted to come back with them. Still, Lucina had said they'd bring him back, so if he had objections when they woke he supposed they could easily do so. Lucina's bright light enveloped them as she called out "Warp home!", and he finally felt as if he could start breathing again.

* * *

_**AN- I really am sorry for the update gap again, and for the short chapter. I just really have grown to not like working on this, as I feel it isn't all that great and it's far too late to fix those problems. I don't know if I'll update this again, but I'll try to find it in myself to at least find a good conclusion, but I can't promise this won't be the last time I update this. I just know everyone is really out of character, there are far too many plot threads getting tangled, and everything all together is rather convoluted. **_

_**No chapterly question, just tell me if you see a way to salvage this all. Regardless of what happens next, thank you for reading. –Twilight Joltik**_


	74. Home

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty Seven- Home_

Indigo light cleared, and Lucina found herself in front of her home. It looked almost odd to her, like it wasn't actually her own, and she supposed it in a way wasn't, but it still felt comforting even just to glimpse it. "Er, Red said they'd meet us back here, right?", she questioned.

"Something to that effect, yes," Roy dully assured her, barely masking a grimace from the strain of carrying Marth. "Now, can we please hurry up and go in?"

"R-right!" Lucina rushed towards the door and rummaged through her pocket for a bit before finding that she didn't have her house key on her. Well, she'd sort of ran out rather suddenly after fighting with Morgan, and she supposed she hadn't allowed herself much time to think to grab that. Or perhaps it was because she remembered leaving a different house, either way was valid.

Luckily, she barely had to knock before it was thrown open by her mother. For a brief moment, her heart started to skip beats and she felt as if something must have gone horribly wrong, but quickly brushed this aside. Of course her mother was at the door, why wouldn't she be? And even if she shouldn't be, she'd saved her life from Grima, so she would naturally be now. Regardless of her brief fear, it all melted away as she was greeted with a warm embrace.

Fuzzy memories of a similar embrace given over the dead body of her father and the mocking voice of Grima surfaced, and tears began to burn at her eyes. "Mother, I- I wasn't able to save Father, and Morgan, he- he-"

Her voice was broken by a sob, but her mother simply pulled her closer. "Lucina, everything is fine, Morgan is fine, and your father's watching over us all. You did all you could, and that's all anyone could ever ask of you."

It felt as if a weight she'd half-forgotten she'd carried had been lifted from her shoulder, and she forced herself out of the hug and stepped inside. She could hear her mother saying something more, probably to Roy or Ike, but she had rapidly become too entranced by her surroundings to care. The living room, it was filled with photographs she didn't really recall taking and a scent that she felt she should really have recalled. This place was home, but it at the same time wasn't, and everything was horribly unnerving and comforting all at once.

Two things made her feel better, though. For one, her little brother was sitting in a recliner he'd surely sat in a thousand times before reading a thick book as if absolutely nothing terrible had occurred. He didn't even acknowledge her presence, exactly like he would normally do. Red and Shulk, had they convinced him the Grima incident had never occurred? If so, she was profoundly grateful. Lesser, but still deep comfort came from glancing a photograph perched on a side table. It was the only one she recognized, in fact, and the three figures standing by her side in it made the slight guilt she had at changing time all but vanish. Cynthia, Inigo, Gerome, it seemed they were still by her side in this world, and that was more than she could have ever asked for.

"I'm guessing it went well?", inquired a voice behind her, and she was a bit startled to turn around and see Shulk standing a few feet away from her. "I mean, I haven't looked into it too much, but unless Marth's not actually asleep, it seems things went as planned."

"Right, Marth…" The shock of seeing her home had sort of banished the shock of what had transpired in Altea, but now that one had worn off the other was quickly returning. "Um, actually it, well, how can I put this, er-"

Roy quickly finished her sentence for her, much to her relief. "It seems Marth's gone off the deep end a bit. He kept rambling about Grima and his brother or something."

Shulk's eyes widened in shock after hearing this. "Grima? Did he try to go after Marth?"

"It seems that way," Ike said, placing a throw pillow on the longest couch as Roy laid the prince upon it. "I think he said he remembered us all dying and his younger brother becoming Grima, but I could be wrong."

A concentrated frown crossed Shulk's face as he placed his hand on his chin. "Well, that certainly can't be the future he saw, but maybe- no, that couldn't be. You don't think he saw previous timeline, do you?"

"Sort of sounded like that," Ike replied. "He said himself he remembered things happening two different ways, like how I can remember Cobalt and Midna killing Claus, but I think you'd really have to ask him about it yourself."

"Well, guess there's nothing we can do about it now," the seer mused. "Let's just wait until he wakes up and we can go from there. Until then, well, we should probably eat something."

At long last, Morgan was spurned from his book by the prospect of food. "Let's order pizza!", he enthusiastically suggested. "I mean, there's a lot of us, and it'd be a lot easier than cooking for everyone, right mom?"

Their mother looked at her brother with an exasperated smile. "Well, you do have a point. You want olives and peppers, right?"

"What, no!", Morgan protested. "That's-"

Giggling coming from their mother cut him off. "Just kidding," she assured him. "Um, does anyone have any preferences, or should I just get half-pepperoni half-cheese? And Lucina, I know you want sausage, right?"

"Y-yeah," she told her mother, and finally, the strangeness of her home seemed to ebb away. She had lived here with Robin all her life, and even if that wasn't the only life she remembered, it still felt like the one she was currently living. Yes, she regretted leaving Lyn and Roy and Lillina behind, but the life she had left it for was the one she'd always dreamed of: one where she had a mother that felt like a true mother.

* * *

At the edges of consciousness, Marth heard voices. What they were saying was mixed in so much with the dreams that were ebbing away that he couldn't tell what anyone was saying, but they stirred him enough to eventually force his eyes open, despite their heaviness dragging him back into darkness several times over.

Upon opening his eyes, though, he found he could no longer hear those voices. No, only soft breathing and heavy rainfall filled his ears, and somehow he knew without even turning to confirm it that the breathing was Ike's. And yes, once he was able to keep himself awake enough to turn his head, he saw that he was asleep on a chair positioned next to him. For a moment, the surge of joy that came from knowing he was right there offset his confusion as to where exactly he was.

But quickly, said confusion settled in. The place where he was resting was most certainly someone's living room, as he was sprawled awkwardly across a couch facing a large window, which heavy thrums of rain beat against, but that was where his recognition ended. This place, he didn't remember ever seeing it before, but he vaguely felt as if he should have remembered it. It was too dark to really make out the exact details though, so perhaps the morning sun would tell him his location.

He closed his eyes to invite the blanket of sleep to fall upon him once more, but it wouldn't take. No, rather, the second he closed his eyes, memories started to flood back to him- memories of confusion and anguish. He'd been so lost, so consumed by the visions of a past or future he barely recognized that he'd lashed out at his friend thinking he was a foe, hadn't he? And he hadn't even been able to say to the three that had travelled across the seas of time to save him from himself that he was grateful for their company, but only pretended those memories he had of them had never existed in the first place.

Whoever he was, whether it might be Prince Marth or Marth Lowell, despite whatever madness had consumed him, he knew that he was profoundly grateful that he was wherever it was he had ended up, and that Ike was now beside him. If nothing else, he knew there was no reason to fear the future, or past, or whatever it was he was running from. If he was the prince fated to die, at very least, he knew he had friends that could change future's flow, and if he was the boy whose brother had destroyed the world out of grief, at least he knew said grief had restored the people he loved to him.

In a strange way, it seemed his uncertainty was bringing peace to him. He no longer felt like he was going to die, as clearly he had done so before and lived. He no longer felt like he'd lost everything, as clearly he had done so before and had it all restored to him. Even if he still had that fate of dying on the battlefield waiting for him, it wasn't his only fate, for he was most certainly bound to the Alchemist Knights by the same force that had turned back the hands of time to undo their deaths and Robin's involvement in them. If nothing else, at least he had a precious few moments at their side to look forward to and hope that perhaps the bonds they once shared could be restored.

And so he decided, perhaps a bit selfishly, to wake Ike up. It felt a bit odd to just watch him sleep, and frankly, Marth couldn't bear being alone in his thoughts for much longer. The strange peace his two pasts had made with each other, he didn't know long it could be maintained before the haziness of night wore off and he realized that he was being selfish or wrong somehow. Ike, though, was someone even Prince Marth could agree that he regretted hurting, so surely he could help delay his inevitable slip back into madness for a while longer.

Even a light shake seemed to be enough to bolt the Knight of Fire awake, and his eyes quickly caught the faint light of streetlamps to confirm this. Ike simply stared at him for a moment before he chuckled. "Morning," he weakly greeted.

Marth couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Sorry to wake you, I just couldn't get back to sleep and-"

"No, no, thanks for waking me," Ike sleepily muttered as he pulled out his phone, which quickly poked a hole in the near darkness. "Shulk told me to tell him whenever you woke up, I just don't think any of us expected you to be out for so long."

Vaguely, he recalled falling asleep back in Altea after hastily realizing Ike wasn't a ghost, and that had been the mid-afternoon, at very latest. If it was the middle of the night now, then he'd likely been out for quite a while. He supposed he needed the sleep, but if people had been waiting on him, he felt a bit guilty about it. "Ah, sorry to make you wait."

The glazed-over look that Ike gave him said it as plainly as his lips "Really? You hadn't slept in days, so you probably needed to. Oh, speaking of which-"

Ike stood up quickly and ran off, only to return a moment later, turning a lamp on as he sat back down and handed Marth a plate with a sandwich cut in two with chips filling the gap between the halves. A pudding cup was also balanced precariously on the plate, its accompanying spoon even more so. "You really should eat something. Er, we weren't really sure what you'd want, so if you want something else, I think there's some leftovers in the fridge, and we ordered pizza earlier, but I don't really know if any's left and-"

"This is fine," Marth assured him, hoping the dim lamp light wasn't enough to make the blush creeping up on his cheeks apparent. "Thank you."

Oddly, he hadn't realized how much he'd needed food until he'd started eating, but somehow managed to finish off the plate in a matter of minutes. By this time, it seemed Shulk had gotten whatever message Ike had vowed to send him, as he and Lucina had shown up, both wearing pajamas and looking like they would still much rather be in bed. Seeing them sit down without a word quickly cued Marth into their intentions, and as he gulped down the last of his meal, he turned to them and sighed. "Are you going to ask what I was going on about back in Altea, then?"

"If you don't want to tell us, you don't have to," Lucina assured him with a rather forced smile. "Though if you can muster it, we would really appreciate it."

The things he'd seen, how could he ever even begin to explain it all to them? Still, he supposed he didn't have much choice but to try.

* * *

_**AN- Guess what, I'm not quitting! After reading everyone's kind words, I started to remember why I loved writing this so much in the first place, and I decided I would do my best to finish it. Sorry not much in way of plot advancement happened here, but A) it was a lot longer than the last one and B) it was important to really see how Lucina was settling into her new existence, so not much is lost. Next chapter will have something I'm sure you all have been waiting a very long time for, though, I'm fairly certain. **_

_**So, chapterly question: would you like Owain to make an appearance? I mean, it's late to be introducing new prominent players, but it won't be that big a part and surely his hamminess could make this story all the more heroic. Also, have you all noticed I haven't named the town Lucina and the others live in? Well, I finally settled on a name, so we might be hearing that at some point. So, thank you for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	75. Bittersweet

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty Eight- Bittersweet_

"Where do I even begin with this?" Marth asked this out loud, and didn't seem to be able to answer himself.

After a long moment, Ike decided to attempt to provide something to start with, as neither Lucina nor Shulk seemed quite awake enough to do so. "You said you remembered something about Grima, right?"

A slight nod was visible from the prince in the dim light. "Yes. Grima, I'll start there. If I'm not mistaken, I met him in an alley a few days ago while he was being attacked by bandits, not unlike how I ended up meeting you. I think he may have cursed me in some way, and that triggered me remembering all of, well, the things I was going on about back in Altea."

"So he implanted you with false memories and made you believe them to be real, then," concluded Shulk. "Well, or he actually triggered memories of a prior timeline in you, but the former seems a bit more likely."

Those memories he'd spoken of were false? The idea of that being the case almost seemed reassuring to Ike, but then he remembered the crazed look Marth had bore when speaking of this before, and he wasn't so sure that even if that was true it would be a good thing.

"False?", Marth repeated. "I hadn't considered that. I suppose you might be right, but why would Grima want me to believed I'd lived through another world where he was my brother?"

Shulk's eyes widened. "Y-your brother?" Marth gave a nod, and it seemed the seer momentarily became lost in thought before clearing his throat. "Um, well, I wouldn't know why he would want you to think that. What else do you, er, 'remember'?"

For a moment, Marth looked at Lucina oddly before quickly turning his eyes towards the ceiling. "Um, well, for one, I wasn't an Alchemist Knight, and neither was Lucina. Robin, er, or rather my brother was, and he wielded the Star core, it seemed."

If Shulk had looked shocked by things Marth had said before, he now looked as if he'd ran into a brick wall face-first, and then very suddenly began grinning. "I was right, then!", proclaimed the seer, who then proceeded to sheepishly chuckle and amend his outburst. "Er, I mean, I've suspected as much for a while now. It would certainly explain how the Time core and Sky core have abilities not recorded to have belonged to the Star core."

It seemed to be Lucina's turn to look around oddly, and as she did so, she opened her mouth as if to say something a few times but never came up with any words. This didn't go unnoticed, as Marth cast her a glance. "Are you alright m-?", he asked, but clipped off his words before all of them could come out.

"Oh, it's nothing," assured the Knight of Time. "Go on, please."

Marth didn't seem to believe her, but continued all the same. "Um, so, in this other world, my brother and I fought to take down the Star Eaters alongside the Alchemist Knights, but things happened differently. We met people at different times, fought enemies in different places, a-and-" For only a brief moment, Marth's nervous blue gaze fell on Ike. "Forged different bonds. Different people died as well, but not particularly less than in this world. Honestly, with the exception of Lucina not being with us, it was fairly similar in events up until the end."

He paused there, and chuckled slightly. "And then everything went as bad as possible all at once. Robin, my brother, he snapped after someone he cared about died and ended up killing every last one of us that hadn't died in battle. He would have killed me too, but I was unconscious so he thought I was already dead. Once he figured it out, though, I'm positive he would have offed me just the same if I hadn't made him break the Star core open instead."

"And then this version of events came into being?", Shulk finished, and was met with a nod. "So Grima, er, 'Robin', he snapped and killed everyone except you? I guess it's lucky you survived, but your version of events leaves a few things unaccounted for. For instance, I can understand how you got involved and why you would have ended up with the Sky core, but how do Lucina and I figure into this?"

Given the hesitating gulp Marth gave, it seemed this was a question he'd been dreading. "Um, well, I have absolutely no idea how to explain this, and I know it'll sound weird, but Lucina, er, well, she's mine and Robin's mother."

Several things seemed completely contrary to how Ike understood the world in that sentence, but he supposed that it explained why the two looked so similar. Still, something, be it the late hour or the simple fact that it had been a very long and strange day, kept him from thinking too much about that part. Lucina, however, seemed to be thinking about it at much better capacity, as she stared at the Knight of Sky for a solid thirty seconds before letting out an "E-excuse me? I'm your… I'm your mother?"

"If that world isn't a weird fake memory Grima planted, then yes," was Marth's reply.

This didn't seem to help things at all, as Lucina continued to gape at him for quite a while before regaining some semblance of composure. She then laughed a bit too loudly for the dead of night. "I guess that makes Red your cousin or something, then? Dear god, am I going to have some things to explain to mother and Morgan tomorrow!"

"So, we've got Lucina, but how do I factor in?", Shulk pressed. "The Monado is part of the Star core, so I must be related to you three somehow, right?"

A rather quiet "Not quite…" came from Marth, and the way he suddenly attempted to look as far away from Shulk as possible made it rather clear this question wasn't one he wanted to answer. "Well, I'm not certain of all the details, but it seems you met Robin and became rather closely involved with the Alchemist Knights through the Starstorm Knights, much like in this world, but of course, without your powers."

"Yeah, I get that, but why do I see the future now?", Shulk exclaimed. "What happened, why was I important enough to the Star core Knight that I'd end up with part of it?"

"'The Star core Knight…'" Lucina seemed to mouth those words, and then looked at Shulk for a moment before muttering "You said that before, didn't you?"

Shulk's raised an eyebrow. "When?"

"I remembered something," Lucina mused. "When I changed time, I didn't just snap back here. No, I was somewhere else before, somewhere strange, and I talked to someone there. He- he told me about another timeline where everyone died and the Star core was broken, like Marth said. He told me, no, Shulk, you told me that you died trying to save Pit in that world and that was what made the Star core's spirit take over its wielder or something, and that made him kill everyone."

No one said anything for a moment, least of all Shulk, who simply gripped the arm of the couch and refused to open his eyes. "...It was my fault?", the seer finally questioned in a near-whisper. "I made that world die?"

"It wasn't your fault!", Marth quickly assured him. "Yes, what Lucina said was accurate, you were romantically involved with Robin and your death in battle was what drove him over the edge, but that wasn't your fault! I mean, we were up against some really powerful enemies anyways, and we didn't stand much of a chance, so things probably would have gone bad even if you'd lived!"

Though it was perfectly clear Marth was trying his hardest to make Shulk believe that, the sobs that began to come from the seer indicated it hadn't worked in the slightest. "It- it w-w-was my fault e-everyone got killed? My-my fault Grima w-went crazy? My f-f-fault I h-have this- this damn sword? A-and all be-because I tried to save Pit?"

He'd run off before anyone could tell him otherwise. Ike had already half-way stood up to go after him when Lucina ordered "Let him go, I think we're making it worse," and then promptly stood up. "Marth, sorry we had to ask you all of that, I'm sure it's painful to think about. We'll talk about this more in the morning, if you feel up to it. Um, get some sleep, alright?"

The awkward way Lucina walked off made Ike suspect she wasn't planning to follow her own advice, but he knew that her words were true. There wasn't a thing he could say to Shulk right now, and those memories were most certainly painful for Marth as well.

"Are you alright?", he slowly asked the Knight of Sky. "I mean, you've been through a lot, and-"

Marth gave a shaky smile in response. "I think I'm alright. I really don't know who or what I am, sure, but I think I just need to sleep on it, okay?"

Very suddenly, Ike realized something; Marth sounded different. Not necessarily his voice, but the way he talked and the words he used were different. He wasn't even sure Marth was aware he was doing it, but it was a noticeable change. The person beside him, was he even the same Marth he'd fight so hard to protect? As the blue-haired boy's eyes seemed to halfway avoid his own, Ike felt a smile coming to his lips. In a way, it seemed the person he'd fallen in love with was gone, but that also almost surely meant he'd done his job of protecting him from the fate that Marth was going to meet, and regardless of how he'd changed, he didn't love this Marth any less.

"Love", the word repeated in his head. After all that had happened, it seemed inconsiderate to burden Marth with anything else to be worried about, but something he'd said back when he'd been teetering on the edge of madness in Altea came back to him. Something about him seeing his mother, friend, and love's ghosts? "Mother", he knew that meant Lucina, and he doubted "Love" referred to Roy, so was it possible that he'd meant him?

Ike supposed it was worth asking. "You know, I'm almost afraid to ask what I was like in that world of yours," he casually began. "I mean, I died, I knew that, but, um, were we still friends?"

It was hard to see in the faint lamp light, but Ike thought he saw Marth blushing. "Um, well, yes," he replied. "We were 'friends', I suppose you could say that. You, actually, you were the one who knocked me out so Robin would think I was dead. I- I actually have a question for you, though: Why have you been so nice to me here?"

"What do you mean?", Ike replied thoughtlessly.

"Well, you always made sure in this world that whenever I was having trouble understanding the future to help me understand it, and you're always looking out for me in other ways too. Like, I don't think just anyone would be willing to sit out here all night and wait for me to wake up."

An armor-piercing question, and it was executed perfectly. Marth suspected his feelings already, and Ike knew he couldn't find a way around this, so he just smiled and turned to face Marth head-on, refusing to let himself look away from his burning blue gaze. "I wanted to protect you," he started. "I knew you, er, the other you was going to die, and I didn't want to let that happen."

He took a deep breath as Marth looked expectantly at him. His heart raced, and he felt like he was about to die, but he forced the words out. "I couldn't let you die; I, um, I love you."

An eternity passed before he got any sort of response, and the beating in his chest nearly tore him apart in that time, but the scorning look he dreaded never came. Instead, Marth smiled wider than he'd ever seen him smile before. "I was so scared you didn't feel the same," the Knight of Sky whispered. "In the other world, we were together, and being with you, I completely adored it- I adored you- and I'd been trying to not feel that way here, but I can't help myself. Ike, I, um, love you too."

Those words, the ones Ike hadn't dared to even pray to hear, the ones Marth had just spoken, they made every bit of pain he'd suffered to get to that point more than worth it. To see that tearful smile the person he loved, the person who loved him bore again, he knew he'd gladly suffer every bit of pain all over again a thousand times over to never have to look away from it.

* * *

_**AN- Well, I just have one thing to say- FINALLY. I have been waiting for so long to write that scene, and I've gone through a thousand different versions of it, but I think it was just awkward enough to work. The OTP is canon. Let us rejoice. Oh, and Shulk's gone off the deep end. Yay. We'll see his Gaiden next. **_

_**Chapterly question: What's been your favorite part of the story so far? I, personally, like that part right after Lucas dies when literally everything is terrible and Pit and Shulk are comforting each other. So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_

_**PS, AngeloHeroOfLight inadvertently gave me the idea for the title, so thanks for that. **_


	76. Gaiden Shulk- Broken Stars

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Gaiden _

_Story Seventeen- Shulk- Broken Stars_

"I want to go home," he sobbed to himself, slouching outside the door of Lucina's guest bedroom, but the words meant nothing. "Home" was no longer a thing he knew. Meta Knight was dead, Kirby had vanished, and they were the only family he ever knew, so there was no "home" without them. What he truly meant is that he wanted Pit, wanted to sob into his arms like he had on so many other occasions, but that was untrue as well. He could use the Sky core at any moment to warp to Pit's side and do just that, but that would make him have to explain to him that the root of all evil in his world was that he loved Pit enough to rend the world apart for his sake.

His body wouldn't stop shaking- a familiar sensation, but eternally unpleasant. He wanted someone to hold onto, someone to tell him that his love wasn't what had cursed the world, but there wasn't anyone like that around. Red was the closest thing, perhaps, but he was hardly good at listening, and he didn't know Roy in the slightest. Lucina would listen, she would gladly provide a crying shoulder, but she had been the one to tell him of what he'd done, and despite the other emotions devouring him, he could still pick out a burning ember of hatred reserved for that act. Marth, he didn't need another scrap of troubles to add to his own pile, and Ike needed to be there for him. Besides, he'd already ruined any chance he might have had of getting close to Ike, and he didn't need to screw up that relationship any more.

Was there anyone else he could turn to? If he fled, he could perhaps reach Zelda, who would tell him plainly why things weren't his fault from the perspective of logic, but she might also tell him precisely why it was his fault in the same way without hesitating in the slightest. Palutena, she was a blow away from shattering to pieces, but she had the slightest chance of understanding his feelings. Dark Pit wouldn't give him the slightest ounce of sympathy, and that was probably what he needed most, but if he'd just stay still for a moment, his presence would feel like Pit's without the pain of knowing he was confessing his guilt to Pit himself. None of those options truly worked, he supposed, and the only people who could have even begun to help were beyond reach.

More pained sobs escaped him, almost uncontrollably. Even at the precipice of what was sure to be the end for all of them, he'd already lost what he'd cared about most, and not even to that awful monster who was due to swallow their pathetic world whole any day now. No, he'd lost what he'd loved of his own accord. He wasn't strong enough to save Meta Knight, didn't think to comfort Kirby, and loving Pit had been what even made the world where he saw such awful things possible. The world Shulk had created, it had been what brought such pain to Pit. This world where countless people his angel cared about fell and broke like dishes knocked off a table, it was his fault.

Pit was hurt because of him, but he was the only person Pit had left to rely on; a fascinating paradox, but it had finally broken. He was now no better off than Palutena, both of them shattered by the sins of their pasts, pasts they had no control over. No, the past him wasn't a brainwashed monster like Circe, he was just a different version of himself. Something about that was even more terrifying, as Shulk knew that if he had the choice between creating and living in another horrible world where everyone he held dear suffered or letting Pit die, he'd choose Pit every single time. That was simply his nature, that was simply his heart, and if it had created a world where everyone was so much more damaged than in the previous, that made his nature fundamentally wrong. The world he'd created, it told him that he was a wicked person for loving, and that was what he couldn't bear.

As tears fell onto the carpet, he lightly felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He would have likely cried out as he jumped from the realization, but he was well aware he was one of the few awake people within earshot. Even before looking up, he knew it was Lucina, and that small ember of loathing within him grew brighter. "Leave me alone," he practically whispered in a shaking voice.

"I know I should," she replied softly, a sickening smile visible in the dim light. "But one really shouldn't be left alone with their thoughts so long, and-"

"Just stop!", he cried out with the vague realization he was shooting the messenger more than anything. "It's your fault that I even know about this, and you're the last person who has any right to tell me that everything's alright!"

He stood up with a sudden motion and started storming towards the front door, vaguely visible from his dark corner. Lucina didn't make an attempt to stop him, and he felt a bit bad for having most certainly hurt her feelings unnecessarily, but the blood pounding through his ears didn't let him hear reason. Storming towards the door, the only thought he had was that he needed to be alone, and the small glance towards the living room he gave was an afterthought. Ike, Marth, they were already both asleep, and curled rather close together. It stung to see that in a strange way, but he flung the door open before he could let the tears it caused fall.

The rain falling from the sky seemed to have stopped, leaving a starless night in its wake. He was oddly grateful for that, given that stars were the last thing he wanted to see at that moment. A chair seemed to be suspended from the porch's ceiling by chains, but he feared sitting in it might be a bit unwise, so he simply sat on the top of the steps, looking at the puddles on the ground reflecting nothing but streetlights. Everything was quiet and dark, only broken by the occasional odd chirping or mechanical propulsion. This world was alien to him in every sense of the word, but he liked it very much. It felt less harsh than the Observatory, more alive than his so-called home.

Briefly, he wondered what he might have been had he been born into a world like that one rather than under Rosalina's rule. With a family and friends who weren't hurt by him, would he truly prefer that? He'd once told Pit he couldn't imagine anything worse than a world without him, but now he almost wished that were the case. If he'd never gotten involved in Pit's life, he'd be a lot better off. He had to stop his lips from unconsciously forming the words, or else they'd be true.

"You're wrong," a soft voice told him, and Shulk looked up, but couldn't find the source. It wasn't a particularly familiar voice, but he knew he'd heard it somewhere before.

"Show yourself!", Shulk demanded, but the voice merely chuckled. "What do you mean, 'I'm wrong'?"

An answer didn't come immediately, but when it did, came with a light tap on the shoulder. He still couldn't see its source, so closed his eyes as the voice came to single it out. "This world is anything but your fault," he was told in a low whisper. "It was of my making, not yours."

"Grima?", Shulk questioned into the blackness as he placed the voice. He had always sounded so menacing and mad in the past, but now, he almost sounded like a real, sane person.

The grip on his shoulder returned and tightened, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around. "I've almost managed to shake him off for the time being," the voice claimed. "It won't be for much longer, though. I've already used most of my time up on Marth, but I just wanted to see you again before I went back under."

Marth's words of the man who became Grima's relationship to him echoed, and he forced himself to turn around. Without the mask, Grima was really quite handsome, and there definitely was a great deal of resemblance to his mother and brother. It didn't look like the face of a sadistic murderer, or a lovesick madman, but just of a normal, if not slightly melancholy person. "Robin," he forced himself to say the name, but it sounded wrong, like the name of someone he'd cut off ties with. "I- please, can you tell me what happened?"

Tears filled Grima, or rather "Robin's" eyes, and he nodded. "You died nobly, and I refused to accept it, so the spirit of the Star core, Midna, she was able to take over my mind. Her influence made me kill everyone I cared about without so much of a second thought, and Marth was clever enough to force me to restart the world. I had no idea who I was, but Midna, she gained a physical form but still held enough power over me to make me into a Celestial Guardian, and I barely remembered anything of myself."

"Midna caused all of this?", Shulk inquired, being met with a nod. "I'd never considered that before, but I suppose it makes some degree of sense." He didn't say any more, but the images of that beast that ripped his friends into pieces in his nightmares flitted across his mind, and he knew it somehow resembled the imp he'd battled a few times in days that seemed much longer ago than they truly were.

Lightly, "Robin" wiped the tears forming under his eyes, and gave a pained smile. If he didn't know of the blood that stained this man's hands, he could almost see how his past self had fallen for such a person. "I- I think I'm slipping," he softly warned. "I can feel her darkness pulling me back, and I don't think I can stay in control much longer. Please, next time we meet, can you promise me you'll end Grima?"

It was hard to tell whether he meant kill him or cleanse him of the Star Eater's influence like Palutena, but he somewhat hoped it was the later, as it seemed cruel to kill someone who was so pleasant underneath the madness. Regardless of which, he whispered back "Okay," and said no more, but simply turned his eyes back towards the steps as Robin's presence quickly vanished. He stood up shortly afterwards to make his way back inside, as the weariness of the late hour was starting to eat away at his consciousness, and he knew he wouldn't be able to process the night's events while half asleep.

* * *

_**AN- That was a thing. It also happened. And I don't know how this ended up like this, because in my notes all it said was that Shulk spent most of the chapter crying into Pit's arms, and it would have been very much like that if I hadn't realized I'd forgotten to mention Pit being present or arriving at some point. Oh well, I sort of like this way better. Also, Midna is apparently the worst or something? I don't even know anymore. **_

_**So, chapterly question, now that we've seen both cuckoo-for-Cocoa-Puffs Grima and fairly-nice-if-not-a-bit-off Robin, do you like his character? I'm still undecided about him, to be honest, and slightly questioning whether he's leaning a bit towards Tharja-ness. **_

_**So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	77. Recovery

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Fifty Nine- Recovery_

Lucina blinked the last remnants of sleep out of her eyes. Her covers felt odd around her, and the ceiling looked strange to her eyes, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. At home, right? No, she was with the Alchemist Knights, so that means she was at the observatory? No, no, she was at home, but taking a glance at the crumpled sheets she was wedged between, she did a double take. Didn't she have a lilac bedspread? So why was it that the covers were a faded turquoise? And why were the walls a different color?

The memories of the past day's events trickled back into her brain. Ah, right, she'd rewritten her entire life, so no wonder the bed seemed a bit unfamiliar. If she strained, she could definitely remember waking up in this place a hundred thousand timed before, all the way back to the very start of her memory. It was such an odd sensation, having lived somewhere all your life and yet not having ever lived there at all.

She forced herself to sit up and instinctively checked the time on the clock by her bed. Nearly ten, it seemed, and she started to panic a little. She never slept that late, not ever! Morgan would have a field day making fun of her for being so lazy.

Yes, Morgan, the one who murdered a Manakete and their father yesterday while possessed by Grima, her mind reminded her. She started to panic for a whole separate reason- what if Morgan remembered doing that? The last thing she wanted was for her little brother to end up like Palutena and Luigi: painfully aware of the crimes he'd been forced to commit.

Standing up shakily, Lucina made her way to the door, but stopped herself halfway. The others had spent the night, right? They might very well still be asleep, and given the events of the previous day, she really didn't want to wake anyone. Between all that had happened, it seemed everyone was probably in desperate need of a few extra hours of sleep. Half of everyone she knew seemed to have suffered a severe injury or mental breakdown in the past twenty four hours, and the insanity of that quickly slapped her in the face.

This time yesterday, she was getting home- to Lyn's home, no less- from a sleepover with Cynthia. With the rain that had stopped sometime last night, everything had seemed peaceful, and not in the slightest like everything was reared to explode more violently than ever before. She'd seen several deaths, prevented several deaths, rewritten all of time, and learned a thousand terrible things all in the time it took a few clouds to pass over her town. Heck, all of them had experienced a pretty traumatic day.

A pang of guilt brought back the extremely late conversation she'd shared with Marth and Shulk. She hadn't been able to do a thing to make the seer feel better, had she? And Marth, he was her… son, apparently, and she couldn't help him any more.

That was still extremely weird to think about, and she hadn't a clue how she would explain it to anyone. No, she corrected herself, she could kind of see how someone could buy that the blue-haired false prince was related to her. The strange part was Grima- no, Robin. She'd never truly seen the Celestial Guardian's face, but she never would have guessed it bore any likeness to her own, and the thought that it might sickened her a bit.

The fact that she was so repulsed by her own child also sickened her, and she had no clue what to make of such a feeling. Yes, he had done terrible things, but none of that was really "his" doing, right? She hoped when the time came to face him with this knowledge came, she'd be able to remind herself of this.

A sudden rapping at the door knocked her out of her musings, and she quickly made to open it. On the other side, she found Shulk, looking rather tired, but not unusually so. If anything, he looked better rested than she would have expected. "Sorry to barge in like this, I just thought I heard you up and I was sort of getting tired of waiting to talk to you," he said at top speed.

"It's fine," she assured him. "Are you alright? You seemed sort of-"

He cut her off before she could voice her concern that he suspiciously lacked any of the complete brokenness she'd witnessed the previous night. "Oh, I'm fine. Sorry about last night, by the way. I wasn't mad at you, and I was just sort of tired and freaked out and it was really nothing," he vowed, but the words sounded unmistakably hollow. "So, can we talk about things? I swear, I won't freak out again."

"Um, I guess-?", she replied, but in all honesty, she had no desire to go back to that conversation. She still followed the seer out of the room and down the stairs all the same.

In the living room, she found her mother sitting with Marth, Ike, and Roy as if she was awaiting her presence like the rest of them. Vaguely, she recalled telling her about the events that had transpired in the past weeks as best she could, but she truly had no desire to burden her mother with any of the things she'd seen in the past day. Still, she knew that keeping things from her would be even worse.

There were still a few questions she needed to ask before saying everything in front of her, though. "Is Morgan here?", she questioned nervously.

"He's out with friends," her mother replied with a kind smile that made Lucina's stress start to melt like ice. "And before you ask, your, er, 'nephew' or whatever he was is still sleeping."

"'Nephew'?", she repeated, and suddenly recalled that awkward conversation on the hill the previous day. "Red, you mean?" She was answered with a nod, and she suddenly began to question how her mother had known of that. "How-? Who told you about-?"

"We told her what we thought she ought to know," Marth explained. "I mean, you probably could have done it yourself, but we thought it would save time once you actually woke up."

The shame of having slept so late continued to burn away at Lucina. "So I don't have to tell you about Marth, then?", she idly questioned her mother, who shook her head.

"While I don't really understand what's going on, I'm thrilled to know I have grandkids!", her mother cheerfully exclaimed. "And they really inherited the best of you, judging by Mar-Mar here."

Marth was as red as a tomato and refused to make eye contact with anyone. "Please don't call me that," he pleaded. "No one calls me that anymore and it's embarrassing and I entirely regret bringing it up."

As she watched her future child contemplate the deep meaning of each and every carpet fiber, she noticed something- no, two things odd about his behavior. One was that she'd never known him before to get emotional, and certainly not bluntly tell someone who had some level of authority over him to basically shut up. That seemed to make sense, given that a change in memories could easily also mean one in personality. More interesting, though, was how close he was sitting to Ike and how they two definitely seemed to be holding hands. Had something happened last night, she wondered.

"Um, as lovely as your family bonding is, I really would like to get to the main point of this meeting," Roy blurted out. Seeing him still made Lucina a bit sad, and she vaguely wondered if perhaps he also remembered living both a life with and without her friendship.

"Ah, yes, right!", Shulk began, clearing his throat. "So, last night, we were discussing Marth's memories and all that, and we came to the point about me being the man now known as Grima's boyfriend, and my death leading to him going mad and killing everyone, and that led to me stepping outside for a moment to ponder the situation."

The way he phrased the events of last night made the affair sound lighthearted and almost comical, rather than him sobbing and spitting venom at her for attempting to make up for a mistake she barely felt she'd made. Honestly, they just reminded her of the seed of guilt that had sprouted in the pit of her stomach due to that.

"So, while I was outside, I was approached by the person we previously have known as Grima, but definitely not as we know him," Shulk continued, and the air seemed to constrict Lucina's ability to breathe momentarily. "He sort of just appeared behind me from out of nowhere, but then he basically just talked to me for a few minutes and was actually really polite and didn't try to kill me at all and-"

"Do you really think we can trust him?", Roy interrupted, looking a bit annoyed. "I mean, I've got what you're saying, but what you're describing sort of sounds like the first time I met him. Came up to me, asked me about my problems, and promptly proceeded to knock me out and use me as a meat puppet. Heck, that's basically what he did to Marth, 'xcept replace that last part with 'give him memories of a past he never lived'."

Those terrifying events at the warehouse flooded into Lucina's mind, and she suddenly began to question Marth's alleged words even more. Grima had made someone lie to them before, so who was to say that he wasn't using Marth's memories as some sort of trap?

"If you're saying Marth's possessed by him, I'd like to remind you that if he had been, my Pyre would have knocked it out of him back in Altea," Ike countered. "Besides, if you think Shulk is, I can always make sure he's not."

Shulk gulped and laughed nervously. "That won't be necessary, really," he promised the Knight of Fire. "If I'm not, you'd probably end up burning me alive, and that sounds very unpleasant. Besides, what Robin said gives me plenty of reason to believe he was being genuine, so just let me finish, 'kay?"

After not hearing any protest, Shulk launched into his explanation. "Alright, so he told me that he was under the control of Midna directly, and that Midna was the Alchemy Spirit of the Star core. That might sound like a bit of a stretch, but-"

"Seems reasonable enough," Marth concluded, cutting off whatever explanation had undoubtedly taken the seer all night to flawlessly concoct, judging by the annoyed disappointment that crossed his face. "We've never seen evidence of a spirit of the Star core before, and she always has seemed more powerful and less human than the rest of them, so it isn't a stretch to assume she may have ties to the Star core."

"Exactly," Shulk finished, sounding a bit less enthusiastic than before. "So, he also requested that the next time we meet that we find a way to save him, as his control over his body was slipping, so I would assume that when we encounter him next he'll be back to being completely insane."

It didn't take Lucina even a second to find the words to respond: "We need to find him, then!"

Shulk nodded. "I agree. From all we've learned, it's almost a sure thing that if we want to get anywhere with this Midna thing, we'll need to find a way to get him on our side."

"And regardless of Grima's crimes, we need to save Robin no matter what," Marth affirmed. "And to be entirely honest, knowing him, Grima will find us before we can ever find him."

A shutter went through Lucina as Marth said that. "Meaning he'll pull another stunt to get our attention?", she concluded, praying the Knight of Sky had something else in mind.

"I don't doubt it for a second," Marth stated gravely. "We'll need to be on high alert- he could easily decide to start offing people in this town at any moment to let us know he's here."

* * *

_**AN- I'm sorry there haven't been many updates lately, but I've both been suffering from writer's block and working on something. That something, however, happens to be a rewrite of Alchemist Knight that I plan to start posting as soon as I'm done with the current one. It'll have differing plotlines, at least slightly, and it is very probable that different people will die at different times, so I implore you to check it out when it goes up. I'd like to thank LegitElizabethWWEFan for agreeing to edit the rewrite's chapters for me, and for having done a fantastic job at it so far. **_

_**So, chapterly question: what would you like to see out of the rewrites. Who do you want me to expand upon, who do you want me to focus on less, what kinds of things do I need to change, anything! I need to know what you, the audience, wants from this so I can make it as good as it can possibly be. **_

_**So, thank you all so much for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_


	78. Notice: Author's Apology Note

Before anyone gets their hopes up, just let me say this: **THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER. **

I know it sucks to see a notice for a story you follow posting a new chapter and only find that it's the author saying they're quitting the story. I hate to be that guy, but that's what this is.

Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina has been discontinued.

I should explain my reasoning for this to you all. It's only fair. The reasons I am discontinuing this story are as follows:

1- I dislike a lot of this story. Specifically, I dislike how I executed everything with Marth and Robin's backstories. It was too much of a leap of logic, and perhaps if I had been a bit more careful with how I wrote that twist it might have worked, but I just don't think it did. I also am not a fan of some of the other parts of this story. Namely, how many characters there were with hardly anything to do, how I made it almost needlessly dark, and how I wrote certain characters. Dark Pit, Toon Link, and Palutena are among the characters I dislike the characterization of the most, and this too has largely to do with leaps of logic. I also dislike how Roy's subplot never really went anywhere and how Ike's subplot was entirely romance-based.

This isn't to say I hate everything I did with this story. No, I actually like some of the stuff with Marth, Shulk and Pit, and Lucas a lot, and even where I messed up, I've used those errors to teach myself what not to do when writing other stories. And that brings us to point two.

2- I've begun work on a story that, conceptually, is rather similar to this one. It's called Magitalia, and it's a magical girl story involving the characters from Hetalia. If you like this story, I think you might also like that one. It's far from perfect; it still suffers a bit from having a large cast and I wouldn't call the romance elements that strong, but I feel I learned a lot from this story and used it in that one. For instance, the powers are made to fit the character rather than it being the other way around, the action is a bit less terrible, it's a bit more lighthearted while still being a Joltik-certified tragedy, and most importantly, 90 percent of the leaps of logic are small enough to make sense. They still exist, sure, but you're not gonna have to buy Fire Emblem characters and Pokemon characters being related. In addition, a few of the characters there have borrowed powers from this story. Like Link's metal powers that we never really got to see here? One of the main characters has very similar ones. And other characters in there have powers similar to Palutena, Shulk, Peach, and Lucas.

Also, it has many things this story sorely lacked. Like the most boring car chase known to man. And Prussian food. And a little girl with a rifle. But it also has many of the best parts of this story. Like unnecessary flower language. And very random characters turning out to be incredibly plot important. And precious cinnamon rolls suffering. Especially that last part.

Basically, that story I feel is a better form of this one, and I'm too focused on it right now to worry about Alchemist Knight.

3- It's been so long since I've worked on this story that I've forgotten a lot about it. Sure, if I forced myself, I could churn out some half-hearted ending, but it would be inconsistent with the rest of this story in tone and characterization. Also, I really never figured out what I was going to do with the ending, so if I did it now, it would read like this:

_Alchemist Spirit Knight Lucina_

_Chapter Sixty- Finale_

Suddenly, Grima showed up. He transformed into a giant dragon and killed everyone. Then he teleported to the Observatory and killed everyone there too. And then he realized Shulk had been among his casualties. And transformed back into a human and cried for a little while. But it was okay because he then became the ruler of the universe. And everyone who was not part of the story was pretty happy with this.

THE END

If you're really begging for an ending, just consider that canon.

However, I do still value the effort I put into this story, and I can assure you it won't go to waste. For one, many of the characters and plots in this story have become the basis for original characters I plan to use in an original project someday. I'm not going to say much more about that, because the details are still very hazy, but this isn't the end for these ideas.

Also, I am considering finishing the rewrite I mentioned. Right now, the prologue and first five chapters are edited, but I think that if I'm going to actually rewrite this properly, it'll probably be by giving this story a much different form. Cutting some characters and subplots, streamlining the whole thing some, and maybe adding in some of the newer Newcomers like Corrin and Cloud. Those edited chapters will probably be posted, and I may go over some of the other ones myself if I repost this story on AO3 like I've been considering doing. That rewrite probably won't start for a few months, though, if it happens at all.

But regardless of what becomes of this story, I want to thank every single person who is reading this, and every single person who read any of this story. I am incredibly grateful for the kindness everyone showed me on this story. Every time I would see a new review on this story, it would fill me with so much joy. I thank every single person who took the time out of their day to do that. Every kind word, every critique, every reaction, every single word means the world to me.

And AngeloHeroOfLight, I thank you especially. Thanks to the reviews we've traded on this story and many others, you've become a dear friend of mine.

Please forgive me, readers, for letting you down, but I am so grateful to every last one of you. And if anyone wants to ask me a question about this story, I will be happy to answer it.

Thank you. Thank you so much for letting me share with you my voice. And I hope that I will be able to share it with you more in the future.

-Twilight Joltik


End file.
